In New Orleans
by JessCM09
Summary: The team gets called to New Orleans while Emily's off with an injury. What will happen when JJ is reunited with William LaMontagne? How will Emily handle being left behind? All the drama in #8 of my little AU series.
1. Chapter 1

**I actually can't even believe how many reviews I received for my last story! You guys have been so incredibly kind to me and I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read my stories!**

**This story is picking up right where my last one left off (so if you forget what happened in the last chapter you may want to review). I hope you guys will all enjoy it…and PLEASE keep in mind that Parrilla may not show up as soon as you guys hope! But bare with me because I have other stories planned and a reason for everything!**

**So enjoy! -J**

**Chapter 1**

"Hey we've got ice cream right?" Alex called, interrupting Emily and JJ's thoughts; both thinking about the dangers of having Isaac Parrilla still out there, snapping out of it and attempting to look normal as the teen, followed by her three friends came down the hall.

"Preferably chocolate?" Olivia added.

"Or strawberry," Spencer called.

"You're in luck I've got both," JJ laughed, putting on a smile, as Emily did the same. "I've got cookie dough too Lex," she said, knowing it was the teen's favourite. "Actually I want some t…" She started to say, just as her cell began to ring. "It's Hotch," she said, checking the caller I.D. before turning to Emily. "I'll be right back," she said, standing from the couch and making her way down the hall so she could answer the call in private; feeling Emily's gaze on her back.

"Hotch," JJ greeted as soon as she answered, closing the door to the game room behind her so she wouldn't be overheard. "Did you find him?"

"No," Hotch sighed, wishing he had better news. "It's actually something else," he said. "I got a call after you left. We have a case."

"A case?" JJ asked in disbelief. "But what about Parrilla? We need to keep looking."

"The search for Parrilla isn't over," Hotch replied. "The locals will continue and we've put his face out there. We've done everything we can for that case right now," he said, sounding disappointed. "You know I can't turn down another case so we can keep looking. Especially one that needs our help."

"What's the case?" JJ sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration, hating the fact that she would soon have to tell Emily that the team was being pulled away from the search for Parrilla.

"It's an L.D.S.K," Hotch replied. "Victims appear to be random; both men and women in various public places. So far we have 4 dead and they're worried that count will rapidly increase if they don't find this guy."

"And where are we headed?" JJ asked.

"It's uh…It's in New Orleans."

"New...oh," JJ replied rather ineloquently, suddenly at a loss for words. "Was uh…did…who called you in?"

"I received a call from a Chief Howard," Hotch replied. "But I was told that he…Detective LaMontagne, is working the case."

"Oh," JJ muttered, biting her lip.

"Look JJ no one would blame you if you wanted to sit this case out," Hotch quickly told the blonde. "Between Emily being injured, and your history with LaMontagne I would completely understand, but I wanted to give you the choice. Whatever you decide I will support you, and I will handle Strauss, so don't worry about that either."

"I…" JJ began, considering her options for a moment. "When do we leave?"

"Are you sure?"

"I'll have to tell Emily…she's not going to like this," JJ replied. "But you're already down an Agent. I can handle this."

"Alright," Hotch replied, knowing the blonde would be able to remain professional regardless of what happened. "Wheels up at 8am."

"I'll see you then," JJ said before hanging up the phone.

Leaning her head back against the couch, JJ covered her eyes, unable to believe her luck. The blonde hadn't heard from William LaMontagne since she had told him that she was pregnant with his child, a fact which, had at first really bothered her, but, which she had learned to accept; realizing that she really didn't need the man in her son's life. Being forced to see Will while working though would be awkward to say the least, and she also knew that Emily would hate the fact that she had to stay behind.

Not wanting to put off the inevitable, JJ stood from her seat, making her way down the hallway, knowing her worry would be clear on her face.

"Jen?" Emily called when she came into view. "What is it? Did they find something?"

"No…no uh…we got a case…" JJ replied, her shoulders slumping, looking up to find Emily staring back at her with a confused look on her face. "…In New Orleans."

"What?" Emily asked, the shock evident on her face, having not expected this news at all. "In New Orleans?"

"Yep," JJ nodded, in disbelief herself.

"And you're going?"

"Wh…of course I'm going," JJ replied, looking at Emily in confusion. "Why wouldn't I be going?" She asked, both completely forgetting that they had an audience; all four teens watching them interestedly.

"Well I can think of one reason," Emily said rather harshly, without really realizing it, JJ's eyes widening in surprise.

"Maybe we should go upstairs," Alex quickly suggested, interrupting JJ who had looked prepared to respond; her mouth wide open. "Come on guys," she said, waving her friends to follow her; Olivia looking rather reluctant, but following anyways.

Waiting until the girls were fully out of earshot, JJ looked back at Emily, the look of disbelief still on her face. "We have a case Emily, you know I have to go. It's my job remember," JJ replied, keeping her voice down, and trying to remain calm.

"Did _he_ call you guys in?" Emily asked, knowing exactly how she sounded, but unable to stop herself. "Is he going to be there?"

"His chief called us in, but yes Will is working the case," JJ sighed in frustration.

"Then why would you go?" Emily asked. "The man won't even acknowledge the fact that you're having his baby," she pointed out.

"You think I don't know that?" JJ replied, resisting the urge to raise her voice. "Look I don't want to see Will anymore than you want me to see him, but I can't let my personal life interfere with my work Em. You know that."

Knowing the blonde was right, Emily had to bite her lip to prevent herself from arguing further, not wanting to start an unnecessary fight. "What's the case?" She asked instead, knowing it would be best to change the subject.

"It's a….It's an L.D.S.K," JJ replied, pinching the bridge of her nose as she knew this answer would only worry Emily even further. At this Emily opened her mouth so as to answer, closing it again when words seemed to elude her. "Em?" JJ asked when it became apparent that the brunette wasn't going to speak.

"I want to come," Emily replied.

"Emily you just got shot," JJ shook her head. "You haven't been cleared. You know you can't come."

"I…I don't care," Emily argued. "I'll work from the precinct. I can do paperwork," she said. "I want to come."

"Hotch isn't going to let that happen," JJ replied, stepping closer to the brunette, and taking her hand. "Look I know this isn't easy for you. I know you hate being injured and not being able to work, but I'm going to be fine," she assured her, seeing the worry in her girlfriend's eyes. "I promise you I will stay out of the field. I won't put myself in any kind of danger. I won't even leave the precinct except to go to the hotel."

"Okay," Emily replied quietly, nodding her head despite the fact that she still looked rather anxious. "I just…I hate you being out there for something like this and I…I hate that I'm not going to be there for you," she said. "You shouldn't have to deal with this Will thing on your own."

"I'll be okay," JJ said, squeezing the brunette's hand. "The team will be with me, and as much as I don't want to have to see Will this way, I think that maybe it's for the best. At least this way I know I gave it my all and if Will still refuses to acknowledge his own son, than so be it," she said. "I mean I've got everything I need right here anyways."

"And don't you forget that," Emily replied with a small smile.

"Not a chance," JJ grinned, leaning forward to give the brunette a chaste kiss. "I love you Em."

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"What was that about?" Olivia asked as soon as the girls made it upstairs and into Alex's bedroom; the brunette closing her door behind her so they wouldn't overhear Emily and JJ downstairs. "Are they fighting? Do they ever fight?"

"Liv," Zoey said, her tone warning.

"What? I'm just asking," Olivia replied defensively. "It seemed a little tense."

"She's right, it did," Alex said, interrupting the scolding she could see Spencer about to give. "I don't know what it's about though."

"Well is there some sort of significance to New Orleans?" Zoey asked. "I mean Emily really didn't seem happy about that."

"Not that I can think of," Alex shrugged, not aware that JJ had met the father of her baby on the team's last case in New Orleans.

"Maybe it's just because it's so far?" Spencer suggested. "I mean your mom did just get shot and JJ's pregnant. Maybe she doesn't want to be so far away from her?"

"Plus they haven't found that guy that shot your mom yet," Olivia quickly blurted out.

"Liv," both Spencer and Zoey exclaimed, glaring at their blonde friend.

"It's fine guys," Alex quickly intervened. "I've seen the news. I know my parents want to keep me oblivious to all this, but the guy's face has been all over. You can't turn on the TV or open a newspaper without seeing it."

"Well do you think that's what your mom's worried about?" Spencer asked delicately, not wanting to worry her friend.

"Honestly, I don't know," Alex sighed. "It's so weird seeing them fight. I mean besides when my mom first found out JJ was pregnant, they like never argue."

"All couples fight," Zoey argued. "I'm sure they're usually just more careful about doing it in front of you."

"Yeah she's right," Spencer quickly agreed. "My parents argue all the time when they think I can't hear them. I'm sure everything's fine."

"I can't even hear them now," Olivia called from where she had her ear pressed up against the door, trying to listen.

"Olivia get away from there," Spencer said, shaking her head, but unable to hold back her laughter, Alex and Zoey quickly joining in.

"They're probably already making up," Olivia said, smiling as she moved to sit on Alex's bed beside Zoey. "They're like the best couple I know. They'll be fine."

"I know," Alex agreed with a small smile. "Come on let's just watch a movie or something," she suggested, wanting to change the topic off of her parents. "You guys can pick," she said, laughing as she watched all three girls race to the cabinet where she kept her favourite movies.

Sitting back against her headboard and listening to her friends immediately begin arguing over movie choices, Alex couldn't help but smile; believing her friends when they assured her that her parents were going to be just fine. Zoey was right after all; all couples fight. Emily and JJ were no different. But as the teen willed herself to stop worrying, she couldn't help but think of the look on her mother's face when JJ had told her where they were going; curious about what could have possibly bothered her mother that much.

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The girls had been a half an hour into their movie when JJ and Emily had made their way into Alex's room; both with smiles on their faces as they sat down to join the teens for a short while before bed. Both women were still slightly worried about the coming case, but had put on smiling faces; trying to act normal as they enjoyed the last half of the movie with Alex and her friends. Sitting with Emily on Alex's window seat, JJ couldn't help but notice the teen constantly glancing over at them; a worried look on her face, though she tried to hide it whenever the blonde caught her eye.

Needing to be up early the next morning in order to be at the airstrip, JJ had excused herself to go to bed as soon as the movie had ended. As she was washing her face and changing into a pair of PJs, Emily had come in, kissing the blonde on the cheek before beginning to get herself ready. Once they were both dressed they had gotten into bed, Emily snuggling up behind JJ and wrapping her arms around her before she had drifted off.

With her mind still filled with thoughts of what the next day would bring, JJ had a difficult time getting to sleep; trying her best to lay still so as not to wake Emily who had fallen sleep with the help of her pain medication. When the blonde's alarm had gone off at 6am, she felt like she had just gotten to sleep, groaning as she quickly shut it off; making her way towards the shower, while Emily rolled over to go back to sleep.

"Em, I'm leaving now," JJ whispered, leaning over the brunette 45 minutes later, brushing hair out of her face.

"Already?" Emily mumbled, squinting open an eye. "What time is it?"

"Almost 7," JJ replied with a smile. "I need to get going."

"Okay," Emily nodded, sitting up so she could give the blonde a proper goodbye. "You're going to be safe right?" She asked, unable to disguise the worry in her voice. "You'll stay out of the field."

"I promise," JJ replied, taking the brunette's hand. "And trust me there's no way the team is going to let me out of their sight on this one. I won't even get a chance to get away from the precinct."

"I know," Emily sighed. "And you'll call if you need to talk about…about anything?" She asked, not wanting to mention Will again.

"Of course," JJ nodded, leaning forward so she could give Emily a kiss. "I love you Em. I promise you, you have nothing to worry about," she said, understanding that Emily didn't like the idea of her seeing Will when she couldn't be there.

"I know," Emily replied softly. "I love you too Jen," she said, pulling the blonde in for another kiss. "Are you going to say goodbye to Lex before you go?"

"I'm going to go sneak in there on my way downstairs," JJ told her. "You should get some more rest. And don't forget you need to keep that sling on. At all times."

"Yes ma'am," Emily replied with a smile. "Be safe," she said, releasing JJ's hand from hers.

"See you soon," JJ smiled, heading for the door; turning and giving the brunette one last wave before opening it and making her way out into the hallway.

Needing to say goodbye to Alex, JJ quietly slipped into the teen's room, tiptoeing over to the bed, not wanting to wake any of the girls as she made her way over to where Alex was fast asleep.

"Lex," JJ whispered, giving the young brunette a gentle shake. "Lex sweetie," she repeated when she was unsuccessful.

"JJ?" The teen grumbled, sounding somewhat confused. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," JJ smiled, brushing the teen's messy locks out of her face. "I'm just heading out. I wanted to say goodbye before I left."

"Oh right," Alex replied rubbing her eyes as she sat up, holding out her arms so the blonde could give her a hug. "I love you."

"I love you too kiddo," JJ replied, running her hand over the teen's hair and holding on just a little bit longer. "I'll call you guys as much as I can," she said as she pulled away. "You'll take care of your mom for me right? Make sure she doesn't miss any of her appointments and she follows all the doctors rules."

"You got it," Alex laughed quietly.

"Alright, I'll see you soon sweetheart," JJ said, turning around just as Alex reached out and grabbed her hand, preventing her from moving away.

"Wait," Alex said as the blonde turned back around, confused to see a worried expression on the teen's face. "Everything's okay right? With you and mom?" She asked. "I mean things seemed a little weird last night. I'm just a little…You guys are okay?"

"We're okay," JJ assured her, giving the teen's hand a squeeze. "This case is a little…stressful, and your mom isn't thrilled about not being able to go with us, but we're okay," she explained. "It's going to be fine. Don't worry okay?"

"O-okay," Alex nodded, not entirely convinced but agreeing anyways. "I'll see you soon," she said, giving the blonde the best smile she could muster.

Nodding, JJ ran her fingers through the teen's hair once more before forcing herself to turn around and leave the room. Closing the teen's door behind her, JJ couldn't help but dread the rest of her day, having no idea just what would happen when she would be forced to reunite with William LaMontagne.


	2. Chapter 2

**So apparently I was nominated for a Profiler's Choice Award for "Time Goes On", which really surprised me, and made me feel really awesome so thank you to whoever had a hand in that and if you guys feel so inclined you can vote somewhere I think..though I really have no idea how it works! I write as a form of stress relief so to have all of you enjoying my stories like this is just so nice! I can't thank all of you enough!**

**Also can we just take a moment to appreciate the amazingness that was the last episode of Criminal Minds? AJ Cook is just the best!**

**With that said I hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

**-J**

**Chapter 2**

"Since this case came directly to me I'll do the presentation," Hotch said as JJ took her seat next to Reid on the plane, feeling the gazes of her teammates on her, as she did her best to avoid making eye contact. "We'll wait until we've taken off," he said, making his way to the front of the plane to let their pilot know they were ready to go.

"How's Emily doing?" Reid asked while they waited for Hotch to return.

"Okay," JJ replied with a small smile. "Still in a bit of pain but she's managing. She's Emily, so you know how she is."

"Getting restless already I bet," Morgan said, as both Rossi and Reid laughed, nodding their heads in agreement.

"Of course," JJ replied with a small laugh. "I was actually surprised she wasn't packed and ready to go with me this morning. She definitely wasn't happy about having to stay behind."

"Well no one can blame her," Rossi said. "We were expecting Hotch to have to have her removed from the jet and sent home. We didn't think you'd be able to convince her not to come."

"Yeah I know," JJ sighed, knowing the team was probably just as worried about her having to see Will as Emily was. "Look I know you all understand that this case is going to be awkward to say the least," she said, feeling the need to discuss the issue while they still had a chance. "Seeing Will isn't going to be easy, but we're going to do a job, and we all need to stay focused on that. I'm going to be fine. I'll deal with Will when the opportunity presents itself but everyone should just remain cordial okay?"

Upon finishing her little speech the blonde looked up to see the three males staring back at her, all looking torn as they contemplated her request.

"We're all going to keep things professional JJ," Morgan finally spoke up. "But I…we hope you know that we have your back. And if at any point LaMontagne becomes a problem you just say the word."

"Whatever you need Bella," Rossi added.

"Thanks guys," JJ smiled as Hotch returned to take his seat, understanding exactly what the rest of his teammates were talking about. "I really appreciate that. But I promise I'm going to be fine."

"Of course you are," Hotch replied confidently, JJ smiling in appreciation. "Now let's get started and see what we can figure out before we get there," he said, the rest of the team taking the hint and opening the files in front of them, ready to get to work.

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"Where's your sling?" Alex asked as she walked into the master bedroom late that morning, seeing the older brunette standing near the end of her bed. "JJ said you're not supposed to be taking it off."

"I just finished getting ready," Emily replied, laughing at the teen's motherly tone. "I had to take a one-armed shower. I was just about to put it back on."

"I could have helped you get ready you know," Alex sighed, picking up the sling and handing it to her mother. "Washed your hair or whatever."

"I know," Emily smiled. "I didn't want to bug you with your friends all here. Did they all leave already?" She asked, not hearing any other voices down the hall.

"Yeah Olivia is spending the day with her dad, Zoey had to help her mom and Spencer has an essay to work on," Alex explained. "She might come back tonight if that's okay with you. Her parents are going out and Melissa has a date."

"She's more than welcome to come back," Emily replied. "She can spend the night again too if you want."

"Thanks," Alex smiled. "So have you heard from JJ yet? Did they get there okay?" She asked, studying her mother's face in an attempt to gage her reaction, still suspicious about the previous night.

"She texted that they landed," Emily said, turning her head to avoid looking the teen in the face while she carefully pulled her sling back on, knowing the teen would be able to read her expression easily. "The case sounds pretty intense though so I'm guessing they'll be getting straight to work. We probably won't hear much from her until tonight when she gets to the hotel."

"Right," Alex nodded, immediately noticing that Emily was avoiding her eye, rolling her eyes. "And everything's good with you two?" She asked. "I mean JJ said it was okay before she left, but you guys were acting weird yesterday. What's the deal? Do you not like New Orleans? Or is it the case?"

"It's nothing sweetie," Emily replied shaking her head as she turned to her daughter, forcing herself to keep her face impassive. "I just really don't like being unable to work like this. I hate that the team had to leave without me," she said, hoping Alex would accept that response.

"And there's nothing else?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow as Emily shook her head no. "Alright," she sighed. "I just hope that if there was something wrong; something that you were worried about…something I should be worried about, you would tell me," she said, giving her mother one last look before leaving the room, not even waiting for a reply.

Immediately feeling guilty, Emily sighed as she said down at the end of her bed, rubbing her forehead with her good arm in an attempt to quell off the headache she could feel beginning to form. The truth was, that no matter how hard Emily tried to force herself not to worry about JJ, she just couldn't help it. The brunette hated the fact that Will was going to be there. She hated that she couldn't be there to support JJ through what would obviously be a difficult situation. Emily knew that JJ could handle herself; hell the blonde was probably the strongest person she knew, but she just couldn't help her desire to be there for her girlfriend and ensure that the Southern Detective didn't do anything to hurt her any further than he already had.

But did Alex need to know all this? Did the teen really need to be bothered with her mother's relationship worries? If she was honest Emily really wasn't sure, a fact, which seemed to make her head throb. Because if she was being honest with herself, Emily was keeping a lot more from the teen than she was willing to admit. Her mind was a mess of worries, not only about JJ and Will, but also about Isaac Parrilla and the chances of a future attack. But how could she possibly worry her fourteen-year-old daughter about that?

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The nerves hit as soon as the jet landed. Even though she knew that they still had a 15 minute drive to the precinct before she would be forced to see Will, JJ still felt her stomach begin to flutter as she prepared to get off the aircraft; Morgan taking her bag for her. The blonde attempted to swallow; her mouth dry as she fought the urge to get sick, hating the fact that she was basically falling apart despite the fact that she had told everyone that she would be fine. Though they didn't have to be profilers to see the change in the media liaison's behaviour, the rest of the team immediately took note, giving the blonde the space they knew she would desire.

JJ wordlessly followed Reid off the plane, getting into the back of one of the waiting SUVs as Reid and Morgan took seats up front. Not comfortable with the awkward silence, Reid immediately began spouting off facts about New Orleans, not caring that neither of his teammates were really listening.

"Reid man, how about we take a break on the New Orleans trivia," Morgan finally interrupted when they were nearly to the police station. "I'm sure we probably heard most of it last time we were here," he joked. "Right Blondie?" He said, waiting for a reply but getting none. "Jayje?" He called again, snapping JJ from the daze she had been in.

"Hmm?" She replied, looking up to meet Morgan's eyes in the rearview mirror, immediately seeing the worry in his eyes as she once again cast her glance downwards.

"You okay?" Reid asked, knowing the answer, but asking anyways.

"Yeah of course," JJ answered, forcing herself to smile despite the fact that she could feel her hands beginning to shake, knowing from the view outside the car that they had nearly reached their destination. "Just thinking about the case," she lied. "Do you think that the unsub will strike again soon?" She asked, knowing Reid would have an answer, which would distract him from his worry.

"LDSKs normally have some sort of agenda. Something they wish to accomplish with their attacks," the genius explained. "It's likely that he'll continue to target various locations until he's caught. And chances are those locations will become higher traffic areas with each attack."

"So how do we find him?" JJ asked, taking a deep breath as Morgan took what she knew to be the last turn before they reached the police station.

"We'll profile the locations and the victims," Reid replied. "It could be that our unsub is targeting specific people, or he could simply be making attacks on the places."

"Oh…great," JJ replied sarcastically, Morgan chuckling as he pulled the SUV into the precinct parking lot, Hotch and Rossi in another SUV behind them.

Willing herself to remain calm and act normal, JJ immediately released her seatbelt and climbed out of the vehicle, following her teammates as they all headed inside. As she entered the precinct behind the rest of the team, the blonde was on high alert, discretely searching the office for any sign of Will, not seeing any sign of him upon first inspection.

"You all must be the BAU," an older man greeted them, immediately approaching them. "Ronald Howard. Thanks so much for coming."

"Of course," Hotch replied, shaking the man's hand as JJ continued her search of the room. "I'm Agent Hotchner, these are SSA's Morgan and Rossi," he said pointing to each man in turn. "Dr. Reid and Agent Jareau, our communication liaison."

"It's nice to meet you all," Howard replied. "I set up a board and map for you like you requested. It's just through there," he said pointing to an empty conference room. "If there's anything else you all need and can't find me you can talk to Detective LaMontagne, who I believe you all know. He's working the case," he said, not noticing the way JJ's head immediately shot up at the name; her stomach dropping. "He should be around here somewhere," he said, looking around. "Ah there he is. LaMontagne," he called, waving the detective over.

Completely oblivious to the situation, Chief Howard missed the worried glances the team threw their media liaison; JJ doing her best to keep her worry off her face and avoid the four sets of eyes staring at her.

"Detective LaMontagne," Hotch greeted, his voice professional as always. "Nice to see you again."

"Wish it were better circumstances," Will replied, shaking Hotch's hand as his eyes darted to JJ, something, which was noticed by all four Agents, as JJ kept her attention on her cell phone, which was in her hand. "I'm assuming you all want to get a start on your own before we give you any of our findings?" He asked.

"Please," Hotch nodded.

"Alright, well let me know if you need anything," Will replied, nodding his head towards the conference room, the team immediately heading that way. "JJ could I talk to you a minute?" He interrupted before the blonde could follow Reid.

"Uh, sure," JJ answered, giving Morgan a pointed look when he looked prepared to follow.

Wanting some privacy, Will led JJ away from the team and towards his desk before turning towards her. "You look good," he said, sounding slightly awkward. "How have…how have you been?"

"Really?" JJ replied in disbelief, trying to keep her voice low so she wouldn't be overheard. "I haven't heard a word from you in _months_ and that's what you're going to go with?"

"Look JJ, I'm sorry," Will sighed, rubbing his face tiredly. "I never meant for this to happen. I never meant to be this guy, but I finally had a good thing going and I panicked when you told me okay?" He whispered. "I screwed up. I realize that, but I just…I didn't know what to do…what to say."

"So you said nothing," JJ shot back.

"Look do you think we could talk?" Will asked. "Like really talk about this? When there isn't four sets of eyes on us and I don't fear that I'll be shot if I make the wrong move?" He said, looking towards where the rest of the team was clearly watching them from the conference room window.

"Sure," JJ sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You know where to find me," she said, turning to leave, taking a few steps before turning back towards where Will still stood watching her. "It's a boy, by the way," she said hand on her stomach. "Just in case you were wondering," she finished, turning away and going straight into the conference room.

As soon as she entered the room, all four men stared at her, looks of concern for the blonde on all of their faces. "Don't you guys have work to do?" She asked, raising her eyebrow as she took a seat; doing her best to push thoughts of Will aside; wanting to keep her head on the case.

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"Ugh I don't know why I let you two talk me into playing this," Alex groaned as she landed on yet another property with a hotel built on it, picking up her stack of fake bills in order to pay her mother. "I hate this game."

"That's because you can't stand losing," Spencer laughed, picking up the dice so she could take her turn. "It's my favourite and you and the girls will never play with me."

"That's because you take this game way too seriously," Alex replied. "You're just lucky my mother took your side."

"Aw come on kid, you're not doing too badly," Emily teased, as Alex raised her eyebrow, holding up the measly pile of fake money she had left. "Okay so maybe you are," she laughed.

"I'm getting a coke," Alex said, standing from her spot on the floor. "Do you two want one?"

"Yes please," Spencer replied.

"Could you grab me a water?" Emily asked.

"Alright," Alex nodded, heading for the kitchen.

"So how's your arm feeling?" Spencer asked as she rolled the dice, picking up her game piece to move the number of spaces indicated.

"It's not too bad now," Emily replied, fingering the edge of her sling. "I mean it doesn't feel great but it's definitely getting better," she explained. "I'll be grateful when I can get out of this thing," she said, referring to the sling.

"It's only been a couple days," Spencer laughed.

"Yeah, I don't do well with injuries," Emily replied with a laugh.

"She doesn't do well with them at all," Alex called, coming back into the room just as Emily's cell phone, which was sitting over on the side table, began to ring.

"Can you check that honey?" Emily asked, figuring it was likely JJ calling.

"It's JJ," Alex confirmed, checking the caller I.D as she put the drinks down on the table. "Can I answer?" She asked, picking up the phone as Emily nodded her yes. "Hey JJ," the teen greeted after pressing 'talk'.

"Hey sweetie," JJ's voice replied through the phone. "How's it going?"

"Oh it's alright," Alex replied happily. "Spencer is here. Her and mom forced me into playing Monopoly so I'm of course getting my butt kicked."

"Ah yes, your mom does take that game very seriously," JJ laughed.

"So does Spencer," Alex replied. "Are you at the hotel? How's the case going?" The teen asked, taking a seat on the couch next to Emily.

"Yeah Hotch called it a night about half an hour ago," JJ explained. "The case is…complicated I guess, but we'll get a handle on it soon," she said, knowing Emily wouldn't want her to share too many details with the teen. "Is Spencer spending the night again?"

"Yeah she didn't want to stay alone so we took her in," Alex replied. "I'll hand you over to mom now though since she's watching me impatiently," she laughed. "Love you."

"Love you too sweetheart," JJ responded. "I'll talk to you soon."

"I am not impatient," Emily said as she took her phone from the teen. "I'm just going to take this down the hall," she said, standing up. "No cheating while I'm gone," she said pointedly to Alex before making her way towards the game room, putting the phone to her ear. "Hey Jen."

"Hi Honey," JJ replied, the smile evident in her voice. "How's my little patient doing? Is Alex taking care of you?"

"Well she's been very persistent about making sure my sling is on at all times," Emily replied, JJ's laughter coming through the phone. "And she'll hardly let me do anything myself. I'm feeling a lot better though."

"Good."

"And how are things going there?" Emily asked, sitting on the couch and picking anxiously at a piece of lint on her pants, wanting to get straight to the topic of Will, but feeling nervous about bringing it up. "How's the case?"

"We're still looking for connections between our victims since the two locations don't seem all that related," JJ replied. "Hotch has a list of people for us to interview tomorrow though. Witnesses and family members."

"Sounds like it's going to be one of those cases," Emily said, knowing how frustrating it could be when nothing seems to connect. "So have you…" She then began, hesitating for a moment, taking a deep, nervous breath. "Have you seen Will?"

"He's working the case, so it's kind of hard not to see him," JJ replied uneasily. "He pulled me aside and apologized. Asked if we could talk later, when the guys weren't watching us like hawks."

"Oh," Emily replied, her mouth dry as she suddenly found herself at a loss for words. "And uh…what did…what did you say?"

"Well I said yes," JJ replied with a sigh. "I mean I owe it to the baby to at least make an attempt here. I need to know that I did everything I could to give the baby a chance to know his father. I'm at least going to hear him out," she said.

"No I know," Emily quickly agreed. "I completely get that but maybe…maybe I should come down," she suggested, hating the idea of JJ talking to the man alone since he had already hurt her in his decision to ignore her in the first place.

"Em you know you can't do that," JJ sighed. "You have a ton of appointments this week and you know Hotch won't allow it."

"I won't come to work," Emily replied. "I'll just be there for support."

"Em I love you, and I so appreciate that offer, but I really think I should do this on my own," JJ said. "I know you're worried about me, but I'm going to be fine. I'm just going to hear what he has to say and then we'll make a decision from there," she explained. "You know you have nothing to worry about right?"

"I know," Emily sighed. "I just…I really miss you," she said, not willing to admit that she was still worried regardless.

"I miss you too," JJ replied quietly, knowing the brunette was still holding something back from her. "I miss you so much.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello!**

**So I'm really sorry about the fact that this story has been off to such a slow start! As I've said before I work, a lot. Add on the fact that I've been sick all weekend, I've had a really hard time sitting down to write! I will do my best to update at least once a week and if I have time I will definitely do more than that! Please stick with me!**

**Hope you enjoy! -J**

**Chapter 3**

After Emily had hung up with JJ she had rejoined Alex and Spencer in the family room; a smile on her face as she took her seat and asked if it was her turn. Though her mother appeared to look content, Alex could still tell that something was bothering the older brunette from the worry that still resided in her eyes. Knowing Emily wouldn't discuss the issue though, especially with Spencer there, Alex had chosen to ignore it, continuing on with the game as normal, eventually convincing the other two to play The Game of Life after she finally went bankrupt.

Feeling slightly drowsy from the pain medication she was still taking, Emily had eventually excused herself to go to bed; Alex and Spencer heading up to Alex's room to watch a movie, where they eventually fell asleep.

Opening her eyes the next morning, Alex came face to face with Spencer who lay facing her, her eyes wide open as she began to giggle at the look of surprise written on Alex's face.

"Have you just been laying there staring at me all morning?" Alex laughed, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"I actually only just woke up," Spencer replied with a laugh. "Just rolled over to see if you were awake and your eyes popped open."

"Suuuure," Alex teased. "That's what they all say."

"Shut up," Spencer laughed, shoving her friend's shoulder, Alex rolling on to her back as she continued to laugh, Spencer doing the same, shaking her head at her friend's antics. "You think your mom's awake?"

"Probably," Alex sighed. "Even though she needs the extra sleep. Knowing her she's probably trying to lift weights or something equally ridiculous," she said, half joking, half serious. "And JJ will kill me if she hurts herself before she's back."

"Oh yeah right. JJ loves you way too much for that," Spencer laughed, Alex smiling her agreement. "Do you think her and your mom will ever get married?" The teen asked, turning her head towards her friend.

"I hope so," Alex replied with a dreamy smile on her face. "I mean I know that we're all living together already anyways, and JJ asked my mom to raise the baby with her, but I want them to get married too. I want there to be a wedding and I want JJ to…" She began, suddenly cutting herself off, her face reddening slightly.

"You want JJ to what?" Spencer asked, furrowing her eyebrow in confusion.

"I just…" Alex began again, sighing. "I just kind of hoped that maybe if they got married, then JJ would adopt me," she admitted, avoiding Spencer's eye. "I mean I know it doesn't really change anything but I just…I…"

"You don't have to explain," Spencer interrupted, reaching out and giving her friend's hand a reassuring squeeze. "I know how much you love JJ. It makes sense that you would want her to be your mom too."

"She already is though," Alex said shaking her head. "I just…I want it to be official I guess," she shrugged.

"I'm sure that's something JJ wants too," Spencer assured her. "Your mom too."

"Yeah," Alex sighed, leaning her head to rest on Spencer's shoulder. "You should hang out here today," she suggested. "I know you still have homework but we can both work on that. The company would be nice."

"Sure," Spencer smiled. "But first come on," she said, sitting up and pulling at Alex's hand. "I'm starving. We can make your mom waffles."

"Deal," Alex laughed, allowing her friend to pull her out of bed and lead her by the hand.

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With several interviews set up for that morning, the team was at the precinct earlier than normal; the clock barely striking 8am as they gathered in the conference room to get their orders from Hotch, coffee cups in hand.

"Our interviewees should be here any time now," Hotch began when everyone was seated. "We need to find any connections between our victims that we can. I know Garcia has come up blank so far, but maybe the families can give us some better insight," he explained. "JJ, Morgan and I will handle the families, while Rossi and Reid talk to our witnesses. We'll meet back here after and see what we have. Hopefully we find something before this guy strikes again."

"And when will that be?" JJ asked, nervously glancing at the clock, while the rest of the team turned their attention to Reid, figuring the young genius would have the most accurate answer.

"It's hard to say," Reid eventually replied. "I mean we have 4 people dead in 2 separate shootings, which were less than a week apart. Technically we don't have enough to predict when or where he'll strike next, but given the short amount of time between the two shootings I think we need to be prepared for it to be anytime now."

"Great," JJ replied sarcastically.

"Look I know that things don't look very promising right now," Hotch said. "Which is why these interviews are of utmost importance. There's a connection here somewhere and we'll find it. Don't get discouraged."

"We've definitely found our unsub with less," Rossi agreed.

"It looks like the families are starting to roll in," Morgan said, nodding his head towards the station entrance where a group of people were walking in, all looking rather lost.

"Alright Morgan, JJ you two go," Hotch said. "I'll join you in a minute," he said, JJ and Morgan immediately standing from their seats and heading out of the room.

"You really think we're going to find something?" Rossi asked when the two Agents left.

"I think we have to," Hotch sighed, hoping this day gave them something to work with.

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Heading towards the group waiting at the door, JJ and Morgan introduced themselves before directing the various families into different interview rooms, needing to talk to them all separately. After receiving quick instructions from Hotch, JJ headed into one of the rooms, where the family of Melanie Richards; a 32-year-old newlywed, was waiting.

Glancing at her file once more, JJ took a deep breath before entering the room. "Mr. Richards," the blonde greeted as she walked in, finding the young man sitting next to an older couple. "Mr. and Mrs. Valor," she also greeted Melanie's parents. "I'm so sorry for your loss," she said as she took a seat across from them. "I know that you're going through an incredibly difficult time, but I was hoping that I could ask you all a few questions about Melanie."

"We talked to the cops after the shooting," Melanie's father replied, sounding agitated. "Why do we have to do this again? Shouldn't you all be out there looking for the guy that did this?" He demanded, his wife placing a comforting hand on his leg.

"Mr. Valor, I'm very sorry," JJ quickly apologized. "I know how frustrating this must be, but we're doing everything we can to find your daughter's killer. My team is working incredibly hard to find any connection to discover why this happened to your daughter, but we need your help," she said. "I could really use your cooperation."

"What do you need to know?" Mrs. Valor asked, her hand reaching for her husband's.

"Why don't you start out by telling me a little about Melanie?" JJ asked. "She was a lawyer right?"

"Mel was always smart," Mrs. Valor. "I think she decided when she was 15 that she would be a lawyer. She wanted to help people who really needed it, and that's what she's always done at her job. I don't even know how many cases she's taken pro-bono. She loved her job and she was good at it."

"Did she ever have any problems at work?" JJ asked. "Any cases where one of her clients may have been unhappy with the outcome? Or any threats of any kind?"

"Never," Mr. Valor replied, shaking his head. "Melanie was well respected," he said. "Sure she stepped on a few toes here and there, but it was never an issue."

"Mr. Richards you and Melanie were married just last year, correct?" She asked, turning her attention to the man, who had yet to say a word; his face clearly stricken with grief.

"We've been together for nearly 9 years," Patrick Richards answered. "We met when Mel was in Law School. We've been engaged for over 4 years. We were going to get married right away, but then Mel got her job, and she wanted to make a name for herself there."

"And Melanie never mentioned any threats at work to you?" JJ asked again, thinking that Melanie was probably more likely to tell her husband about problems at work than her parents. "Absolutely no enemies that you can think of?"

"No," Patrick shook his head. "Everybody loved Melanie. She would have told me if there were any problems like that."

"Alright," JJ nodded. "Now Melanie was shot in a relatively busy area, during the noon hour. Was it normal for her to be in that area at that time?"

"Her law firm is located just across the street from where she was shot," Patrick replied sadly. "She liked to have lunch at this little café across the street. Sometimes I would meet her there."

"Did she do this every day?"

"About 2 or 3 times a week," Patrick explained. "But I think she would usually head down for a coffee on her lunch regardless, unless she was really busy."

"Okay," JJ nodded, feeling slightly frustrated, not hearing anything that the team could really use to help them find their unsub.

"Agent Jareau," Patrick called, interrupting the blonde's train of thought, as she raised her head to meet the man's eyes. "My wife meant everything to me. We were…we were talking about starting a family. She really wanted to be a mom," he explained, his eyes falling on JJ's pregnant belly. "Now she'll never get that chance. I need to know who did this to her," he said emotionally, JJ taking a deep breath in order to control her own emotions.

"We're going to do everything we can," the media liaison replied, her voice cracking slightly, suddenly unable to control her own emotions, seeing how heartbroken Patrick was. "I'm…I'm sorry can you just…can you excuse me for a moment?" She asked, standing up and quickly leaving the room, knowing it would be unprofessional if she lost her cool in front of a victim's family.

Needing a moment alone in order to calm down, JJ quickly headed into the break room, closing the door behind her, leaning against the door to catch her breath, not noticing the other presence in the room.

"JJ?" Will's voice called, surprising the blonde who jumped, placing a hand on her stomach. "Sorry," he quickly apologized, before noticing the saddened look on the blonde's face. "Are you okay?"

"Oh…yeah sorry," the blonde quickly scrambled, wishing she had run into anyone else; pinching the bridge of her nose to quell off the headache she could feel beginning to form. "I didn't realize anyone was in here," she said, turning around in order to leave again.

"JJ wait," Will called, stopping the blonde in her tracks. "I was just leaving," he said in his thick accent, moving closer to JJ who still had one hand on the door handle. "But are you okay? Really?" He asked again.

"I'm…" JJ began, stopping herself before she told a lie. "I just needed a minute," she sighed. "Talking with the families is just…"

"Hard?" Will finished for her, as she nodded her agreement. "I don't think it's something anyone can ever get used to."

"It's just not fair," JJ said, shaking her head in frustration as she moved away from the door so she could go sit down, Will making no move to leave. "I mean these people had their whole lives ahead of them until some wackjob just decides to shoot them and take it all away," she said. "Just like that four lives are taken away and we're no closer to finding this guy, which means more people are going to die and it…it just…it sucks!" She exclaimed.

"Whoa, whoa JJ, just calm down okay," Will said, moving to kneel down in front JJ, tentatively placing a comforting hand on her knee. "I know it's frustrating but, you can't let it get to you like this," he said. "I mean it can't be good for that little guy," he said, gesturing to her stomach, JJ immediately placing her hand there, suddenly feeling slightly uncomfortable. "We're gonna find this guy," Will assured her, removing his hand from her knee as he noticed the change in the blonde's demeanor, but remaining knelt in front of her.

"I just wish we could do that before he hurta anyone else…before he destroys someone else's family," JJ told him sadly, as Will nodded solemnly in agreement.

"JJ…" the Southern Detective began, interrupted by the door swinging open and Morgan rushing in; the Agent pausing for a moment to take in the sight of the two people in the room.

"There's been another shooting," Morgan eventually told them. "It's bad. Hotch wants you taking calls," he told JJ. "LaMontagne you better come with us."

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"I don't understand how you watch this," Emily said with a laugh later that night, running her hand through Alex's hair as the teen lay with her head in her mother's lap; the pair having spent the last hour together on the couch. "I mean these people are just awful."

"I find them fascinating," Alex giggled, her attention still on the screen. "I mean there's so many of them and they're basically famous for being famous," she said. "Plus they do the most ridiculous things. I could literally watch this for hours."

"Well I'll allow you one more episode after this," Emily said. "I draw the line at 4."

"Okay deal," Alex laughed, as Emily continued playing with her hair. "You know as much as I wish you didn't get shot, it's kind of nice having you home like this."

"It's nice being here," Emily agreed with a smile. "I mean as hard as it is for me to be away from work I like that I'm getting extra time with you," she said. "Even if you do make me watch these crappy shows."

"Oh please I've seen you watching the E network when I'm not around," Alex shot back, rolling onto her back so she could see her mother's face. "You might as well stop pretending that you hate this stuff."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Emily replied, trying her best to keep a straight face, avoiding looking Alex in the eye.

"You're a terrible liar," Alex said with a laugh, shaking her head as she rolled back onto her side so she could see the TV again. "But I'll let it go since you're letting me watch this."

"Good idea," Emily laughed, ruffling the teen's hair, the pair falling silent as their focus remained on the television; enjoying the relaxing time together.

With her hand still running through her daughter's hair, Emily began to drift off, her head leaning back against the sofa awkwardly as her eyes fell shut, just starting to fall asleep when her cell began to ring.

"That's probably JJ," Emily groaned unable to reach her phone that was sitting on the coffee table since one of her arms was still strapped into a sling and Alex's head still rested on her lap. "You want to grab it?"

"I'll talk to her during the commercial," Alex replied, grabbing Emily's phone and handing it back to the older brunette.

"Hey Honey," Emily greeted as soon as she pressed the talk button on her phone.

"Hi Sweetie," JJ's voice came through the phone, sounding exhausted. "How're you doing?"

"Oh I'm good, just watching some terrible TV with the kid," Emily replied, laughing as Alex pinched her leg. "How are you? You sound tired."

"It's been a really long day," JJ sighed, still feeling the emotional drain of the case as she plopped down on her hotel bed. "There was another shooting today. 4 more victims," she sighed. "It was absolute chaos at the precinct all day and the guys were at the scene trying to take statements and search for clues for hours. We still don't have much, but Hotch sent me back to the hotel to get some rest."

"The guys are still working?" Emily asked, knowing the answer.

"Yeah they wanted to go over a few more things," JJ replied tiredly.

"Are you okay?" Emily asked, hearing the strain in the blonde's voice.

"Yeah I just…this case is hard," JJ replied sadly. "I mean I had to interview one of the victim's families today and her and her husband hadn't even been married for a year yet," she explained. "They were young. They had plans. They wanted kids," she said. "They were supposed to have so much more time together and it was just taken from them. Just like that. I don't know what I would do if that ever….I couldn't handle it."

"Hey," Emily quickly intervened. "Don't talk like that. I'm fine," she said, Alex turning and giving her a worried look. "Nothing's going to happen to me baby. I'm fine and we're going to get a very long time together okay?" She said. "I know this case is hard but you guys are going to figure it out. It'll be okay."

"I know," JJ sighed. "But I think I really needed to hear that from you," she admitted.

"And is that all that's bothering you? I mean everything's okay with…everything else?" She asked, unable to ask about Will with Alex sitting with her.

"Y-yeah," JJ replied, unsure of how to explain her talk with Will that day. "I mean there hasn't really been enough time to deal with that yet."

"Okay," Emily replied, noticing that the television was now playing a commercial and Alex was watching her expectantly. "Hey, Lex wants to talk to you, but if you need to talk at any point, I'm here okay?"

"I know Baby, thank you," JJ replied, a smile evident in her voice. "I love you."

"I love you too Jennifer," Emily smiled. "Stay safe sweetheart."


	4. Chapter 4

**I really wish I had been able to get this chapter up faster, but unfortunately things have been crazy busy! Doing my best to keep this going! Please be patient! And I hope you enjoy!**

**-J**

**Chapter 4**

After talking to Alex on the phone, JJ had taken a shower before getting into bed, willing herself to fall asleep quickly, knowing the team would be able to tell if she didn't get enough sleep. With her mind filled with thoughts of Emily and Will and the baby though, the blonde struggled to turn her mind off; tossing and turning for over an hour before eventually falling into a restless sleep.

Knowing Hotch wanted to get an early start the next morning, JJ had set her alarm for 6:00am, taking her time getting ready, feeling sluggish and wishing she could have a cup of coffee to give her the boost she needed on such an early morning. She was almost finished getting ready when her cell phone dinged, alerting her to a text from Morgan telling her they were meeting downstairs in 30 minutes. Having some extra time, JJ decided to turn on the TV, searching for a news station so she could see what they were saying about the latest shooting. She watched for 15 minutes, before finally shutting off the TV, not learning anything significant from the broadcast.

"Hey where's everybody else?" JJ asked when she got down to the hotel lobby, finding only Morgan waiting for her. "You said half an hour right? Are we early?"

"No actually the guys already left," Morgan replied, handing JJ a to-go cup filled with hot chocolate, which she accepted with a smile. "I volunteered to wait for you," he explained as they both began to head towards the exit and out towards the waiting SUV.

"So how'd it go last night? Did you guys find anything?" JJ asked as she climbed into the SUV.

"Well Garcia has gotten us everything she could find on all of our victims and we've been going through it with a fine-tooth comb, but it's just still not making any sense," Morgan replied shaking his head. "We have family of our new victims coming in first thing this morning, but even Hotch doubts it will do us any good," he explained. "We're obviously missing something. I mean this guy has to be doing all of this for a reason, but we just can't seem to figure it out. Even Pretty Boy is stumped."

"Well hopefully today's interviews shed some light on that," JJ said. "I'm sure we'll figure it out. I mean the pieces always come together eventually."

"Yeah, I just hope they come together before even more people have to die," Morgan said, both Agents falling silent as they thought about the potential of even more lost lives. "You know I didn't get to a chance to talk to you last night before you left," Morgan eventually broke the silence, sounding slightly awkward as he chanced a glance towards the blonde. "It seemed like I interrupted something with you and LaMontagne yesterday. Everything's alright, right?"

"Oh…yeah," JJ replied hesitantly. "I was just a little upset after talking to Melanie Richards' husband and I just needed a minute. I didn't realize Will was in the break room until I was already in there," she explained. "He was just talking me off the ledge so to speak, when you walked in."

"Ah right," Morgan nodded, hesitating another moment as he considered his next question. "So how's everything going with you and him anyways?" He asked carefully.

"I don't know," JJ shrugged with a sigh. "I mean we haven't exactly had a chance to talk about things given everything that's been going on."

"But you guys are going to?"

"That's the plan," JJ replied, watching as Morgan simply nodded in reply, looking as if he was holding something back. "Go ahead and just ask it Derek," the blonde eventually sighed, having a pretty good idea why the Profiler looked worried.

"You're not…I mean there's no…." Morgan stuttered, unsure how to word what he wanted to ask. "There's no chance that you'd…"

"I have no interest in getting back together with Will," JJ finally interrupted, unable to watch Morgan stumbling over his words. "The only reason I'm even allowing Will the chance to talk about all this is because my son deserves to know his father if that's what he wants," she explained. "If Will wants to be in the baby's life then I'll give him that chance, but I love Emily, Derek," she said. "And I love Alex. They're my family and nothing is going to change that."

"Good," Morgan smiled, pulling into the precinct parking lot. "I'm sorry I had to ask," he then said looking serious. "I know it's none of my business, but Em's my best friend. I'm just looking out."

"I know," JJ replied with a smile. "I get it, but you don't have anything to worry about."

"Okay then," Morgan said, as they both got out of the car. "Then let's get to work."

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Emily was bored. After waking up early and seeing Alex off to catch the bus for school with Spencer, the brunette made herself a pot of coffee, grabbing a bagel and plopping down on the couch where she could watch the morning talk shows. Sinking back into the couch, Emily smiled as Sergio jumped up beside her, scratching the cat's head as she absentmindedly stared at the TV, wishing she could at least go into the office to work the case with Garcia. Still needing a psych evaluation, as well as medical clearance, Emily knew Hotch would immediately have her sent home, fairly certain that Garcia was under strict orders from JJ to tell them if the brunette tried to come back to work too early.

"God this is going to be the longest day ever," Emily sighed, still scratching Sergio's head as she leaned her own head back against the back of the couch. "I have no idea how to do this. I should have forced Alex to stay home," she practically whined, Sergio turning his head towards her briefly before turning away again, uninterested. "Thanks for the support buddy," she said before groaning in frustration, which immediately scared Sergio away.

Unable to even busy herself with cleaning since she was still stuck in her sling, Emily picked up her phone, deciding to do something she wouldn't normally do; scrolling through her contacts until she found the number she was looking for. Bringing the phone to her ear, the brunette listened as the phone began to ring.

"Emily?" Elizabeth Prentiss' voice answered after only a few rings.

"Mother, hi," Emily replied, trying to sound normal even though she knew it wasn't common for her to call her mother out of the blue for no reason, even though they had been getting along well since Elizabeth had found out about Alex. "How are you?"

"I'm fine thank you, just at the office for a couple of hours," Elizabeth explained. "Shouldn't you be at work as well?"

Silently cursing herself Emily immediately realized her mistake, having not called her mother to tell her about the shooting. "Oh well actually I uh…I had to take a few days off due to an injury," Emily replied hesitantly, knowing her mother wasn't going to accept such a vague explanation.

"Injury? What injury? What happened?" Elizabeth asked, the concern evident in her voice, something, which truthfully surprised Emily, not used to her mother worrying about her.

"Well I was…I'm fine," Emily began to explain. "But I was shot last week. It was just in the shoulder, so I'm fine really, but I have to wear a sling for about a week, and like I said I'm off work for a bit, but I'm really okay," she repeated. "Sorry, I should have told you earlier, everything has just been so hectic."

"I guess I can understand that," Elizabeth replied quietly. "I'm glad you're okay though," she said. "How are Alex and Jennifer doing?"

"They're good," Emily replied, glad her mother wasn't giving her a hard time. "Alex was a little shaken up about everything, but she's doing okay and Jen is great. The baby is doing well. She's been a little tired but she's managing," she explained. "She's actually in New Orleans on a case."

"Ah so let me guess you're already going stir crazy?" Elizabeth said, a joking tone in her voice.

"Completely," Emily laughed. "I'm a Prentiss. I don't know how to sit around and not work. I mean the longest I've spent away from work was when Alex first moved here and that only worked because I was so busy with Alex. Now she's at school and she's only been gone for like an hour and the quiet is already getting to me."

"Of course it is," Elizabeth replied with a chuckle. "You always did have a hard time sitting still, and you were never one to simply sit around," she said. "But perhaps some rest would do you some good given what you've been through."

"So Jennifer and Alex keep telling me," Emily sighed. "I will do my best, but I was thinking that maybe we could grab lunch or something this week since I don't have to work."

"I think that sounds wonderful," Elizabeth replied happily. "Does tomorrow work for you? I can clear my schedule."

"That's perfect," Emily quickly agreed; glad to have something to look forward to outside of appointments. "I have a doctor's appointment in the morning but I can meet you after. Just let me know a time and place."

"I'll do that," Elizabeth replied. "I really have to get going, but I'll talk to you soon."

"Definitely," Emily smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you then Emily."

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"Well my favourite crime fighters I have bad news and good news," Garcia's voice rang through the phone later that day, the whole team gathered together, all looking slightly frustrated.

"What did you find Garcia?" Hotch asked, desperate for something that would lead them to their unsub.

"Well I've been searching every inch of our victims' lives like you asked," Garcia quickly explained. "And unfortunately I can't find any overlap between all 8 of them, which is my bad news."

"What's the good news then Baby Girl?" Morgan questioned, sounding eager.

"Well frustrated by my lack of findings I decided to take a caffeine break," the technical analyst began to explain. "While I was enjoying a large cup of coffee, I started thinking about how you guys would think, and what you would do, so I went back to my babies and I thought, WWDMD."

"WWDMD?" Reid asked sounding confused.

"What Would Derek Morgan Do, of course," Garcia replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "So I took another look at our victims, not all 8 at once, but each one individually and that's when I noticed something interesting. Our first two victims were a man and a woman, both in their thirties and both in pretty successful jobs. And as I was reading through their histories for the second time I realized that it sounded familiar."

"Victims 5 and 6," Reid exclaimed, rifling through the files on the desk. "Gabe Marges and Katrina Thompson. Both in their early 30s," he explained. "Gabe was an electrician and Katrina was a nurse. Katrina was even recently married just like Melanie Richards."

"Garcia what about our other victims? Is there a similar pattern?" Hotch asked, turning to their murder board, observing the photos of their other four victims, everyone immediately seeing the similarities between them.

"Victims 3 and 7 and 4 and 8 are practically mirror images of eachother, just like the other 4," Garcia revealed excitedly. "That's helpful right? I mean it's something?"

"It's definitely something," Rossi agreed, as the rest of the team reopened their files, looking at their victims in a new light.

"So our unsub is killing people who remind him of 4 people in his life?" JJ asked as the profilers nodded, eyes still scanning their files. "That helps us with who he's going to target, but how do we figure out where he is going to hit next?"

"That's what we have to figure out," Hotch replied seriously. "And with all these potential targets, it's not going to be easy," he said, turning his attention to the map Reid had been working with. "Let's get to work."

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"Ugh I can't believe how much math homework we got," Alex groaned as she and Spencer got off the school bus, immediately beginning their short walk towards their houses. "It's going to take all night."

"Oh please you'll have it done in like an hour," Spencer scoffed. "You're like a math genius. Plus at least you don't have to write a history paper too," she complained. "I only have till Friday and I haven't even started."

"Yeah I so don't miss that class," Alex laughed, speeding up as Spencer gave her a playful shove; their houses now in view.

"Hey whose car is that?" Spencer asked, as she rushed to catch up with Alex, pointing to the black car sitting in front of Spencer's house.

"I don't know," Alex shrugged. "One of the neighbour's maybe?"

"It was sitting there this morning too," Spencer, said, Alex's stomach immediately dropping. "And I've never seen it before today. The windows are so dark. Do you think there's someone in there?"

"Are you sure it was there this morning?" Alex asked worriedly, not remembering seeing it.

"Yeah I noticed it when I was waiting for you to come out," Spencer replied. "Really didn't think anything of it then though."

"Come home with me," Alex said suddenly, grabbing the taller brunette's hand and pulling her towards her house.

"What? Why?"

"Because we live in a gated community," Alex replied, picking up her pace. "That car shouldn't be there. I'm not letting you go home by yourself when no one's home. We have to tell my mom," she explained. "Come on," she said, continuing to pull Spencer along. "Mom," she called as soon as they were in the house. "Mom!"

"I'm right here," Emily called, coming towards the front door from down the hall. "What's going on? Oh hi Spencer."

"There's a car sitting in front of Spencer's house," Alex blurted out, before Spencer could greet her mother. "Spencer said it was there this morning too," she said, seeing the worry in her mother's eyes as Emily moved to look out the front window to see for herself. "I think someone's in there," she said, her voice sounding worried.

Without saying a word, Emily moved to the table that sat in the foyer, opening up a drawer and pulling out her gun, immediately sticking it in the back of her pants before turning back towards Alex and Spencer, both of whom were watching her with wide, worried eyes.

"Mom?"

"Listen to me, you need to stay in here okay?" Emily said, pulling off her sling and dropping it on the table. "I want you to lock the door behind me and don't open it until I get back."

"But…"

"If anything happens you call 911 and you stay inside, do you hear me?" Emily asked, as Alex stared back at her in disbelief.

"Mom you…"

"Alex, do you understand?" Emily repeated, standing in front of the teen, a stern look on her face.

"I understand," Alex replied quietly, Emily reaching out and giving her hand a quick squeeze before making her way out the door, listening for the click of the lock behind her before heading towards the dark sedan sitting in front of the Hastings' house; a look of determination on her face.

Now out on the street, Emily pulled her gun from behind her, holding it firmly in front of her with her good arm. "Get out of the car," she yelled, positive that someone was sitting in the vehicle. "Come out with her hands up, right now!" She called again, the door to the car, opening, as two arms came out before a man who looked to be in his early forties stood up, revealing himself completely.

"Agent Prentiss," he said, Emily freezing in the middle of the street, her gun trained on the man, who still stood behind the car door.

"How do you know my name?" She asked, relieved to see that it was not Isaac Parrilla in the car, but still feeling uneasy. "Step out where I can see you," she demanded. "Slowly."

"Agent Prentiss this is all a misunderstanding," the man said, slowly moving so he stood away from his vehicle. "My name is Agent Marcs," he said. "My badge is in the right hand pocket of my jacket. I'm going to take it out to show you," he said, slowly moving his hand, watching as Emily's gun remained at the ready.

Still confused, Emily kept her stance, allowing the man to reach into his pocket, but ready in case he tried to pull a fast one on her. When the man pulled his hand out of his pocket though, it wasn't to reveal a gun, but rather a wallet containing a badge much like her own. "See FBI," he said. "Do you think you could put that gun down now?"

"What the hell are you doing outside my house?" Emily demanded, not bothering to put her gun away.

"I was assigned to watch your house," Marcs replied calmly. "With Parrilla still out there I was told to watch the house for any suspicious activity," he explained. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to frighten you."

"Who assigned you to my house?" Emily asked, ignoring the man's apology.

"Agent Hotchner," Marcs replied, surprised when Emily immediately turned around, putting her gun back into the back of her pants and pulling out her cell phone; angrily hitting Hotch's speed dial as she made her way back towards her house.

"Hotchner," Hotch's voice greeted, obviously not having checked his caller-id.

"Call off your guy right now," Emily said, skipping the greeting.

"Prentiss?" Hotch replied in confusion, not immediately understanding.

"The guy sitting in front of my house Hotch," Emily said. "The one you assigned to babysit me. Call him off right now."

"Emily…"

"I'm a grown woman Hotch," Emily interrupted angrily. "Not to mention a Federal Agent. I can take care of myself," she said. "Call him off," she repeated, before hanging up, trying to calm herself down as she made her way back to the front door, watching as Alex head peaked through the window, the teen immediately moving to unlock the door when she saw Emily coming.

"What's going on?" Alex asked, the fear evident in her voice.

"Everything's fine," Emily sighed, knowing she would have to tell Alex the truth now. "It was just a misunderstanding. Everything is fine," she assured the teen.

"Who was that?" Alex asked, determination in her voice.

"It was…" Emily began, hesitating slightly. "Spencer, hun, maybe you should head home. Alex and I need to talk," she said, not wanting to scare the other teen.

"Yeah okay," Spencer replied, turning towards Alex. "I'll uh…I'll call you later," she said before making her way out the door.

"What's going on?" Alex demanded, turning towards Emily, crossing her arms in front of her. "Who was that?"

"It was another Agent," Emily replied with a sigh. "He was assigned to watch the house. Hotch assigned him to watch our house while the team's away."

"Why?"

"Because of Isaac Parrilla," Emily replied, knowing she couldn't lie to the teen, or keep anything else from her. "The man who shot me…"

"I know who he is," Alex interrupted, having heard about it on the news. "And I know you guys didn't catch him," she said. "But why is that guy watching our house?"

"We aren't really sure what Parrilla's next move will be," Emily explained, biting her lip. "I ruined his plans when I saved Grace Porter and he's probably angry about that."

"So Hotch thinks he's going to come after you again?" Alex asked, her eyes widening with worry.

"I don't know," Emily sighed. "He could. Or he could go after Grace again, or…"

"Or he could come after me," Alex finished, her voice deflating, not needing her mother's affirmation to know it was true.

"We have no reason to believe that Parrilla even knows about you," Emily quickly intervened. "But if he found out…there's a chance that he could," she stuttered, hating the worry in her daughter's eyes. "I'm not going to let that happen though. The team is going to find him."

"Why didn't you tell me all this in the first place?" Alex asked, the fear in her voice replaced with anger. "I asked you what was going on. Why didn't you just tell me?"

"I didn't want to worry you."

"I'm not a little kid," Alex said, irritatedly. "You could have told me. You _should_ have told me. I shouldn't have to hear things on the news. You didn't tell me when you were worried because I looked like all those girls Parrilla killed, and you didn't tell me that you guys didn't catch him and you didn't tell me you were worried about all of this either."

"Alex…" Emily tried to interrupt, hating that the teen was so angry; Alex immediately cutting her off again.

"What's going on with New Orleans?" She asked, knowing her mother was still keeping something from her.

"Honey," Emily sighed, not wanting to get into everything about Will right now. "It's not…"

"You know what, just forget it,' Alex snapped seeing her mother beginning to form an excuse. "Just forget it," she repeated, before grabbing her backpack off the floor and running up the stairs.

"Great," Emily groaned rubbing her head in frustration, feeling a headache coming on. "Just great," she muttered, knowing she had really messed up.


	5. Chapter 5

**So just a quick chapter to deal with the secrets Emily has been keeping from Alex and what not! We'll get back to the case and the team in the next chapter! Hope you like it!**

**-J**

**Chapter 5**

"So your mom really thinks this guy could come after you?" Spencer asked Alex an hour later, her voice sounding worried through the phone.

After running up the stairs and into her room, Alex had slammed the door, collapsing onto her bed and spending nearly half an hour crying rather angry tears. Once she was able to calm herself down, the teen had tried to focus on her homework, eventually giving up when she couldn't stop thinking about what had happened, deciding to call her best friend so she could vent some of her frustrations.

"They really don't know for sure, but they're worried that he could," Alex replied; trying her best not to sound scared. "Or he could go after my mom, or the girl that she saved."

"That's awful," Spencer said, not really knowing what to say in order to make her friend feel better. "Are you okay?"

"I just don't understand why she didn't tell me in the first place," Alex answered, sounding frustrated. "I asked her if there was anything going on. I asked her what she was so worried about and she told me that everything was fine."

"Well…"

"Well? Well what?" Alex asked, her tone snapping.

"Well…I mean maybe your mom was just trying to protect you," Spencer replied hesitantly.

"You're taking her side?"

"I'm not taking her side," Spencer quickly backtracked. "You're completely right, she should have told you when you asked, and you shouldn't have had to find out like this, but…well maybe she just didn't want you to have to be scared."

"Spencer I came home from a sleepover to find my parents stabbed to death in my living room," Alex replied. "I'm scared every day. Knowing about all this doesn't change anything," she said, stunning Spencer into silence.

"Lex…" Spencer tried, unable to find the right words.

"Look I should go I need to get that math work done," Alex said, suddenly not wanting to talk. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah…okay," Spencer replied with a sigh, wishing there was more she could say or do.

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Silently cursing herself after watching Alex run up the stairs, Emily pulled her sling back on before making her way into the family room, laying down on the sofa and covering her face with her good arm. Emily knew she messed up. She knew she should have been honest with Alex in the first place; should have told the teen the truth when she asked her what was going on. But in an attempt to protect her daughter from the frightening truth, she had lied, and had ultimately made things worse then they needed to be.

Groaning, Emily couldn't help but be angry with herself, knowing she had hurt Alex by not telling her everything and unsure what she could really do to make it better. Deciding she would give the teen a little time to herself before going to talk to her, the older brunette remained on the couch, staring at the ceiling; her pity-party interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone.

Seeing JJ's name flashing on the screen, Emily hit the accept button before putting the phone against her ear. "Did you know?" She asked, not bothering with a greeting, knowing the blonde would know what she was talking about since Hotch was likely to tell her what happened.

"No, I promise you I did not," JJ replied right away. "If Hotch had told me I would have told you Em, I swear. I wouldn't have risked Alex getting freaked out by a car watching the house."

"Which is exactly what happened," Emily told her dully.

"Of course," JJ sighed. "What happened exactly? Is she okay?"

"Well she saw the car and came in all freaked out," Emily replied, closing her eyes against her growing headache. "So I obviously had to tell her about Parrilla, but since I lied to her about it when she asked me what was going on, she kind of lost it," she explained. "And then to top it off she asked me what the deal with New Orleans was, and I didn't know what to tell her, so now she's upstairs shut in her room."

"Oh Em, I'm sorry," JJ said sadly. "We should have sat down and talked to Alex after you got shot. I just thought that we were protecting her by not telling her."

"We both did," Emily sighed. "Now I don't know what to do."

"Well you could start by telling her about Will," JJ suggested. "I mean I still don't know what's going to happen with him, but if he does decide to be in this baby's life then Alex deserves to know."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," JJ replied. "I could even call her and explain if you want."

"No, no I should talk to her," Emily said. "I mean I've been a little off the last couple days and I should really be the one to explain that all to her. But it might be a good idea if you talk to her when you get back too."

"For sure," JJ quickly agreed. "Are you doing okay?" She then asked, knowing the brunette was probably beating herself up.

"I don't know," Emily sighed. "I'm furious with Hotch, but I'm even more furious with myself. I should have told her the truth. After everything she's been through the least I could do is be honest with her. She shouldn't have had to find out like this."

"You made a mistake Em," JJ said. "I know she's upset now, but she's going to forgive you. You just need to talk to her."

"What if she won't listen?" Emily asked, her voice filled with worry.

"Make her listen," JJ replied simply. "She's a teenager, so she's stubborn as hell; they all are, but she loves you, so just explain it to her. It'll be okay."

"I hope you're right."

"I'm always right," JJ teased, glad when she heard Emily give a quiet chuckle. "I'm sorry I'm not there with you."

"I know you would be if you could," Emily told her. "You're where you need to be right now. But I sure do miss you."

"I miss you too," JJ said, a smile in her voice. "And I know you probably don't want to hear this right now, but try not to be too angry with Hotch okay? Even if he did the wrong thing, he was just trying to what he thought was right. He's worried about you and Lex. The whole team is."

"I know," Emily sighed. "I just…I can take care of myself Jen."

"I know you can Em," JJ replied. "We all know that. But you know what Parrilla is capable of. Hotch just wanted to be sure nothing happened to you or Alex. He should have told you before he placed a car across the street though. I'm sure he'll be trying to make that up to you for a very long time."

"Damn right he will," Emily joked, feeling a little better, even though she knew she still needed to talk to Alex. "Listen, as much as I wish I could keep you on the phone all night, I should probably go."

"I know," JJ replied. "You need to talk to our girl."

"Yes I do," Emily smiled, loving when the blonde referred to Alex as _their_ girl. "Call me when you can okay?"

"You got it," JJ agreed. "I love you Baby."

"Love you too Jen," Emily replied before hanging up, dropping her phone before taking a moment, needing to prepare herself for the conversation she knew she needed to have.

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It took Emily almost 15 minutes before she was able to gather up the courage to go upstairs to talk to Alex, making her way to the teen's bedroom door; knocking lightly before entering, receiving no reply from her daughter. Pulling open the door, Emily scanned the room, her eyes eventually landing on Alex lying curled up in a ball on her bed; a sight, which made Emily immediately feel terrible. Knowing Alex was likely to ignore her at first, Emily crossed the room, getting into bed next to the teen whose back was to her.

"I'm sorry," Emily eventually said, breaking the silence, which filled the room. "I should have told you. The truth is, we have no idea what Parrilla might do, and so I didn't want to scare you for no reason," she explained. "I was wrong though. I should have been honest when you asked me what was going on. I am so sorry," she repeated, surprised when Alex turned around, moving to lie facing Emily.

"What's going on with New Orleans?" Alex asked again, testing to see if her mother would be honest with her now. "Why were you so freaked out about JJ going there?"

"Will lives in New Orleans," Emily replied. "He's there working the case with the team."

"Will?" Alex repeated. "Will as in the father of JJ's baby? That Will?"

"Yes that Will," Emily nodded, reaching out and brushing a strand of Alex's hair behind her ear.

"Oh," Alex replied, falling silent as she chewed her lip. "So are you like…worried? I mean do you think something's going to happen?" She asked uncertainly.

"No, no of course not," Emily quickly replied, shaking her head. "I trust Jennifer completely I just…I don't know I guess I just hate that she has to deal with all of this on her own," she explained. "I mean she hasn't heard from Will since she told him about the baby and now she's forced to see him and I just wish that I could be there for her."

"Has she talked to him?" Alex asked. "Does he want to like see the baby?"

"I don't know yet," Emily shrugged. "They're going to talk about it though…once they get a chance."

"And what do you think of that? I mean are you okay with him being in the baby's life?" Alex asked, seeing that Emily still looked rather worried about something.

"He's the father," Emily replied. "This baby deserves to know his dad. I would never interfere with that. I'm just…I'm worried that Will will end up hurting Jen more than he already has," she said, receiving a confused look from the teen. "She doesn't admit it but I'm pretty sure the fact that Will has completely ignored her since she told him about the baby really hurt her. I would just hate to see that happen again, especially since she's there and I'm here."

"Which is why you were so upset that she was going."

"Yes, exactly," Emily nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you all of this in the first place. I just hate worrying with all of this."

"I guess I can understand that," Alex said, reaching out and taking Emily's hand. "Are you scared?" She then asked quietly. "Of Parrilla I mean?"

"I'm…I'm scared of him hurting more people," Emily admitted. "I don't want to see him hurt anyone else. You don't need to worry though. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"I know," Alex smiled, still slightly worried, but reassured by her mother; moving closer as Emily rolled onto her back so she could put her good arm around the teen. "Can you promise me something though?" she asked, leaning her head on the older brunette's shoulder.

"What?" Emily replied, Alex tipping her chin up in order to look her in the eyes.

"Promise you won't keep things from me from now on?" The teen asked. "You'll tell me things, even if you think they'll scare me?"

"I promise," Emily nodded, seeing now that keeping her worries from Alex was only doing more damage then good.

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After dinner and finally finishing her homework, Alex had crawled into Emily's bed, refusing to admit that she felt safer in her mother's room with her, then down the hall on her own. Having forgotten her cell phone with her alarm set for school in her own room, Alex had woken up late, roused by Emily who immediately panicked seeing the time, realizing the teen was definitely going to miss the bus. After rushing to get ready, Emily had been forced to drive Alex to school before her doctor's appointment; Alex running into the school and making it to her first class just in time.

Since she was late, Alex hadn't seen her friends, receiving a confused look from Zoey when she got to class. It wasn't until later that day, as she walked down the hall hand in hand with Logan that Alex had finally seen Spencer, the taller brunette biting her lip nervously as she approached the couple.

"Hey, could we talk?" Spencer asked, unsure if Alex was mad at her after the conversation they had the night before.

"Yeah sure," Alex nodded, turning towards Logan. "I'll meet you in the cafeteria?"

"Of course," Logan smiled. "I'll see you guys in a bit," he said, placing a quick kiss on Alex's cheek before heading down the hall on his own.

"What's up?" Alex asked, turning towards Spencer, and really seeing the worry on her friend's face for the first time. "What's wrong?"

"Lex I am so sorry," Spencer quickly apologized. "Last night you needed a friend and I just…I…"

"Spencer," Alex interrupted, taking her friend's hands in hers. "It's okay. You were right," she assured her. "My mom was just trying to protect me, and I was just too stubborn to see that. I talked to her though and everything's okay…I mean it's not okay really…it's all still a bit of a mess but my mom and me are good. So please don't apologize."

"I still should have said something else," Spencer sighed, still bothered. "When you…when you talk about stuff like that…your mom and dad I mean….I just…I don't know what to say," she admitted. "I have no idea what it's like…everything you've been through, and I just, I didn't know what to say."

"Spence," Alex said, suddenly at a loss for words, not realizing how bothered her friend was by their conversation. "It's okay. Really," she stressed. "Everything that happened with my parents, is hard, and honestly I think about it every day, but it's okay. And I shouldn't have gotten mad at you yesterday so I'm sorry. You were just trying to help, and I should have listened to you."

"So we're okay?" Spencer asked, her eyes wide with worry.

"Of course we're okay," Alex laughed. "Come here," she said, pulling her friend into a hug.

"I'm so glad," Spencer sighed in relief as she pulled away from the shorter brunette. "You have no idea how worried I was last night. I really didn't want you to be mad at me. And then when you didn't show up for the bus this morning I thought for sure you were pissed."

"Oh no that was just me missing my alarm," Alex laughed. "And then in my hurry I completely forgot my phone, or else I would have texted you! I'm sorry," she explained, making Spencer laugh. "Come on, let's go get some lunch," she suggested, looping her arm through Spencer's and heading in the direction of the cafeteria.

It wasn't until they were almost there that Spencer stopped in her tracks, stepping in front of Alex and turning towards her, once again looking serious. "Look just so you know, if you ever need to talk about what's going on…about all of this, I'm here. Whenever."

"I know," Alex smiled. "Thanks Spence."


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello My Lovely Readers,**

**I know this took a little longer than my last update but I'm doing my best! Thanks so much for being patient with me, and I will do my best to update as soon as I can!**

**Enjoy! -J**

**Chapter 6**

_Alex and I talked. Things are good. Heading to the doctors then to lunch with my mother. Call me tonight and stay safe sweetheart. Love you xoxo. _

JJ couldn't help but smile, reading the text message from Emily that morning, and as she read it over again later that morning desperate for something happy; it once again brought a smile to her face. The blonde had known that Alex and Emily would make up quickly; the teen simply needing time to cool down before allowing herself to listen to her mother. JJ was still happy to know that the pair had talked though, knowing Emily would have been awake all night with worry if they hadn't.

JJ herself had spent most of the previous night tossing and turning, thoughts of the case, Will, Emily and Alex bouncing around in her head as she unsuccessfully willed herself to shut it off for the night. She knew she needed to rest, but the blonde couldn't help but worry, feeling guilty that the whole thing with Will had caused a fight between Alex and Emily.

Eventually drifting off, JJ had awoken to the message from Emily, smiling and instantly feeling better despite her exhaustion, hoping she would be able to focus on work knowing that Alex and Emily were okay. Arriving at the station though, it didn't take long for the case to begin to take its toll, not only on JJ, but on the rest of the team as well. Frustrated by their lack of progress, the team began snapping at each other; all watching the clock, knowing they were at a constant risk of another shooting.

Needing a moment away, JJ had escaped to the break room to get a water, pulling out her phone in order to text Emily; ending up opening the text from that morning instead, not hearing anyone enter the room as she stood staring at the phone with a goofy grin on her face, until the sound of someone clearing their throat made her jump.

"Oh Will," JJ said, looking up to find the Detective watching her with an amused expression on his face. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Just came to get a refill," he said, holding up his mug before heading over to the coffee machine. "Seems like we keep meeting here."

"We do," JJ replied with a small laugh, not really wanting to think about their last meeting, since she had been upset at the time. "I just needed to get away for a minute. It can get intense in there. Thought I'd just sneak out for a water."

"And to talk to someone special," Will said, nodding his head towards the blonde's cell phone which she was still clutching in her hand tightly.

"Oh..I was…I was just checking my messages," JJ replied, stuffing the object back into her pocket, feeling her cheeks reddening embarrassingly.

"Well you looked so happy when I walked in," Will said. "Must have read something you liked," he pointed out, laughing as he watched JJ's cheeks redden even more. "Sorry you don't have to tell me."

"No, no it's okay," JJ quickly insisted, realizing that Will would have to be told about Emily eventually. "The message was actually from Emily…Prentiss. You remember her right?"

"Oh yeah, I was wondering if she was still a part of the team," Will replied. "How come she's not here?"

"She was shot on our last case," JJ explained. "She's fine. She was hit in the shoulder, so she had to take a little time off to heal. She'll be back with us on the next case I'm sure," she smiled, hesitating for a moment as she considered how to tell the Detective that she was dating her coworker. "Ummm actually…there was something I wanted to tell you about Emily."

"Oh?" Will questioned, the confusion written on his face.

"Uh yeah," JJ said nervously. "Emily is actually...Emily and I are in a relationship," she stuttered. "She's the one I've been seeing…that I told you about."

"Oh," Will replied, obviously not expecting this news as he was basically stunned into silence. "I didn't realize you…I…I didn't know you were…"

"Yeah," JJ interrupted, understanding what the Detective meant. "I've always known I was bisexual, but things with Emily and I…they just sort of happened. I mean she was my best friend, but things just…changed," she explained. "But I thought that you should know since we're….Emily and I, are living together, and she's going to be in this baby's life," she said, placing her hand on her stomach. "And I know that you and I still have to talk about all of that, but I thought you should know."

"Oh…uh, right," Will stuttered, obviously flustered. "Well thank you for telling me that," he said. "And I'm glad that you've obviously found happiness."

"I have," JJ nodded.

"Well good," Will replied, feeling slightly awkward. "I should probably get back to work, but uh…we'll find some time to talk…about everything else."

"Of course," JJ agreed. "I'll see you later," she said, watching as the Detective left the room, sighing, glad she had been honest with Will, but knowing she still had so much more to deal with before returning home.

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"Mother sorry I'm late," Emily greeted Elizabeth later that afternoon, leaning forward to give her mother a kiss on the cheek before taking a seat across from her. "The doctor's office was so behind. My appointment started forty-five minutes later than it was supposed to. I didn't mean to keep you waiting."

"Oh it's no problem," Elizabeth quickly brushed it off as Emily tucked herself into her seat. "How did everything go anyways? Are you feeling okay?"

"Oh yeah I'm fine," Emily replied with a wave of her hand, smiling as their waiter poured her a glass of water. "The doctor said everything looks good. I have to keep it in the sling for a few more days, but I can start trying to work it out."

"Oh good," Elizabeth smiled. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Thanks mom," Emily replied with a big smile, feeling slightly emotional since she was not entirely used to her mother's concern.

Before either brunette could say anything else they were interrupted by their waiter's return, Emily quickly opening up her menu in order to pick out something while Elizabeth placed her order. Settling on a salad, Emily told her waiter her order, watching as he walked away before turning her attention back to her mother.

"So I know you said Jennifer and the baby were doing well but how has she been feeling lately?" Elizabeth asked interestedly. "She's rather far along now. Is she getting nervous?"

"A little," Emily smiled. "But mostly she's excited. We all are," she laughed. "She looks great though and for the most part she's been feeling well too. She's missing coffee and she's sleeping a lot more than usual, but besides that she's great. Definitely getting anxious about meeting the little guy though."

"I bet," Elizabeth grinned. "It's such an exciting time. I know I'm looking forward to meeting my grandson."

"Alex can't wait either," Emily laughed. "It's practically all she talks about. She can't wait to finally have a sibling, says she's going to teach him all of the important things, whatever that means."

"Oh Alexandra is going to be such a wonderful big sister," Elizabeth practically gushed. "She's so great with that little niece of Jennifer's, I just know she'll love having a little brother too."

"Oh definitely."

"Where did you say Jennifer was working this week again?" Elizabeth then asked, bringing up a topic Emily really wasn't anxious to discuss, still hating the fact that she wasn't with the team.

"The team's in New Orleans," Emily replied. "They've been there since Saturday and apparently things aren't going all that great. They're still having a pretty hard time."

"And knowing you, you're having just as hard of a time not being there with them?" Elizabeth asked with a knowing grin.

"You have no idea," Emily laughed. "I'm not used to being away from Jen this much, and I just hate that I'm not there helping the team, especially since this case seems to be so difficult; they could probably use the extra help," she explained. "And then there's…" She began, before cutting herself off.

"There's what?" Elizabeth asked, raising her eyebrow questioningly, Emily biting her lip as she wondered whether or not she should really have this conversation with her mother.

"Well, it's just that the fact that this case is in New Orleans has been a bit of an issue, I guess," Emily replied hesitantly. "Jen's…the baby's father lives in New Orleans. He's a Detective and he's working the case as well."

"You mean the man that has completely ignored the fact that Jennifer is pregnant since she told him?"

"That's the one," Emily replied dryly.

"So I take it Jennifer has spoken to him then? Or is he still ignoring her?" Elizabeth asked, her distaste clear in her voice.

"They've spoken," Emily replied. "Not so much about the baby yet, but they plan on having a discussion about him once the case is finished with."

"Oh well that's…." Elizabeth began to reply, considering her next words carefully. "That's….I'm not actually sure what that is," she finally finished. "How do you feel about all of this?"

"I don't know," Emily sighed. "I mean part of me is so angry with the man for how he's treated Jen these last few months, and the other part of me completely understands why she's still giving him a chance," she explained. "I'm trying so hard to be understanding, and to be completely okay with all of this, but it's really not that easy," she admitted. "I trust Jen completely, but it's taking all of my willpower not to go down there and talk to this guy myself."

"Well I don't think that would do you any good," Elizabeth told her. "I mean Jennifer can definitely take care of herself and I think it would just hurt her if you showed up trying to act like she needs protection," she said. "Jennifer loves you Emily. You have nothing to worry about."

"I know that," Emily replied. "But it's just…it's not my relationship with Jennifer that I'm really worried about," she admitted, biting her lip as she considered telling her mother something she had yet to admit to anyone. "It's….It's my relationship with the baby that worries me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well Jennifer is the baby's mother and Will is his father and I guess I'm just worried about where I fit in, in all of this," she confessed., feeling slightly ashamed "I guess I just felt more secure with my role when there was no chance that Will would be involved."

"Oh Emily," Elizabeth replied sympathetically, reaching across the table and taking her daughter's hand in hers. "Honey I know this must be difficult but Jennifer asked you to be in her son's life," she said. "You're going to be there for this little boy and he's going to grow up knowing how much you love him, I am absolutely sure of that. Trust the fact that Jennifer wants you to be a part of this baby's life, just like you want her to be in Alex's life. You're a family Emily. Anyone can see that. Don't start doubting that now."

Touched by her mother's words, Emily couldn't help the emotions that began to overwhelm her; tears filling her eyes as she squeezed her mother's hand, trying to convey her appreciation. "Thanks mom," the younger brunette eventually choked out, the words coming out in a whisper. "Thank you."

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"You know something has been bothering me about all of this," Reid said that afternoon, the entire team gathered around the table, all having just returned from their various assignments throughout the city.

"What's that?" Rossi asked, hoping Reid's question brought them some new insights into the case.

"Well typically LDSKs choose victims that are virtually random," Reid replied. "I mean given the nature of the killings it's usually difficult for these types of killers to target specific people, especially multiple people at once, because normally the first shot sends bystanders running," he explained. "And yet given what we've found with these victims being a reflection of each other, our unsub has targeted multiple people in all 3 of our shootings; accelerating up to 4 in this last shooting."

"Which mean's our guy has experience," Morgan pointed out. "For that kind of accuracy he has to have professional training."

"Which makes sense since we didn't find many stray bullets at our crime scenes," Hotch said. "And he goes for the kill shot every time."

"He also would have had to know where each of the victims were going to be wouldn't he?" JJ asked. "I mean he knew who was going to be out in these areas at the same time," she said, standing in front of their map.

"Well all 3 of our crime scenes are surrounded by office buildings or other places where people work, and he's striking at the noon hour," Reid said. "It wouldn't be that difficult to figure out where our victims would be if the unsub knew their lunchtime habits."

"Alright so we need to go back to our crime scenes and visit all cafes, and restaurants in those areas," Hotch quickly instructed. "See if anyone remembers seeing someone there for several day watching the patrons who may not be visiting anymore, as well as our victims" he said. "Morgan you and Reid take the first scene, I'll take the second and Rossi you can take LaMontagne and head to the third. JJ call Garcia, tell her our unsub is someone who lives in the area who has a background in sharp shooting, see if it helps at all."

With their instructions in place the team all headed out with a new sense of urgency, hoping that maybe, just maybe, they had found something that would put an end to all of this madness.


	7. Chapter 7

**So first of all, I owe you guys a huge apology for taking so long to update this story! I tried all week to sit down and write and I had such a hard time! And then I just couldn't find time so I'm sorry you've had to wait. I hope you won't be too disappointed!**

**Secondly I also owe you guys a huge THANK YOU, as I found out the other night that "Time Goes On" was actually the runner up in the Profiler Choice Awards for Best Femslash, which is so cool! I never expected to even be nominated so to be the runner up is so awesome! All of you who read and review and favourite my stories have been so kind to me so thank you, thank you, thank you!**

**So now I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I will start to write the next one as soon as I can! -J**

**Chapter 7**

"You know you're going to have to restock the freezer before JJ gets back," Alex said, scooping a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth with a grin. "She's going to notice we ate all this," she said with her mouth full, gesturing to the various cartons the pair had been devouring since Alex got home from school.

"You're probably right," Emily laughed, dipping her spoon into the Rocky Road. "It'd be great if you didn't mention that I let you have ice cream for dinner while she was gone too."

"Don't worry your secret's safe with me," Alex promised, finally dropping her spoon, and leaning back against the couch holding her stomach. "I think I've had enough. Probably too much actually," she said as Emily put her spoon down as well, mirroring Alex's position beside her.

"Yeah I'm definitely going to regret this choice later, but right now I must say that was an excellent dinner," Emily said, laughing as Alex nodded enthusiastically. "So how was school today anyways? "

"Oh you know, it was school," Alex shrugged. "Went to some classes, did some work, read some books. The usual," she smirked. "Oh and I got to see my friends."

"Wow I am so glad I am paying for what is obviously such a quality education," Emily replied sarcastically, as Alex simply giggled in reply, making the older brunette shake her head. "You know it wouldn't kill you to actually share some details about your day."

"You know you're probably right, but I really don't want to risk it," the teen teased, sticking her tongue out at her mother. "How was your lunch with Grams?"

"Oh..it was fine," Emily replied, feeling her cheeks reddening as she thought about the things she had admitted to her mother that afternoon. "I mean...it was nice."

"Wow there's no question where I get my vagueness from," Alex laughed.

"Yeah, yeah," Emily said rolling her eyes. "Lunch was actually great. I mean my mother has been nothing but great lately," she said. "We just ate and talked, mostly about the baby."

"Of course," Alex smiled. "Is she excited to be a Grandma again?"

"Oh definitely," Emily smiled. "Apparently she's been stocking up on baby clothes and toys to spoil the little peanut with as soon as he's born. Something tells me that kid won't want for anything. Between JJ's parents and my mom he'll have everything he could ever want."

"Not to mention all the things you've bought him," Alex teased, watching as Emily's face reddened. "I've seen your closet," she laughed. "You seem to have quite the pile of clothes and toys in there too."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Emily fibbed, not meeting the teen's eyes. "That must be JJ's stuff."

"Sure it is," Alex replied rolling her eyes as Emily's phone began to ring from where it sat on the table. "Oh I bet that's JJ now, let me just ask her," she said, bolting forward to grab the phone, ignoring Emily's attempts to stop her. "Hey JJ I have a question for you," the teen answered the phone, sticking her tongue out at her mother.

"What's up kid?" JJ replied, laughing at the rather strange greeting, hearing Emily's voice arguing with the teen in the background. "What are you two doing over there?"

"Let go," Alex said, laughing uncontrollably as she tried to get away from her mother. "One second JJ," she said, breathing heavily, as she moved from the couch, running to the other side of the room. "Mom was just telling me about how you're the one spoiling the baby already. She said all that stuff in your closet is from you, not her."

"Oh she did, did she?" JJ replied, amusement in her voice. "Well I will have you know that I have barely bought the baby anything because every time I want to get something I realize that Emily has already gotten it," she said. "She's definitely the one doing all the spoiling."

"Just as I thought," Alex replied triumphantly, a big grin on her face as Emily rolled her eyes at her from across the room. "So how's it going anyways?" She then asked. "Are you coming home soon?"

"I hope so," JJ replied, suddenly feeling rather homesick, missing the teen's antics and getting to sleep in Emily's arms. "We got a pretty big lead so we're hoping we'll be able to wrap this up soon enough. I can't wait to get home," she sighed. "I miss you both."

"We miss you too," Alex smiled. "How's the little guy? Treating you well I hope?"

"Well he's been playing soccer with my bladder quite a bit, so that's been real fun," JJ explained, making Alex laugh. "I think I've spent more time in the bathroom today then I did in the conference room. I was seriously considering just taking my work in there."

"Well that would have been interesting," Alex giggled. "Still pretty tired?"

"Exhausted," JJ replied. "I don't think that's going to change anytime soon, but I'm learning to deal with that. Plus the team has been sending me back to the hotel early to make sure I get some rest, so I guess it could be worse."

"Definitely," Alex smiled. "Alright I'll let mom talk to you now though. I love you."

"Love you too sweetheart," JJ replied. "I'll see you soon."

"I'll be upstairs," Alex said as she handed Emily the phone, leaning down to kiss the older brunette on the cheek. "I knew you were the spoiler," she then said, handing Emily the phone with a laugh before running off to head upstairs.

"What a brat," Emily laughed as she put the phone to her ear, the sound of the blonde's laughter immediately greeting her. "How's it going baby?"

"Better than yesterday," JJ replied. "We actually have a sketch of a guy who we believe is our unsub, but we still don't have a name," she explained. "Garcia's running it through facial recognition but she hasn't gotten any hits yet, and everybody else is canvassing, seeing if anyone has seen him around."

"And what about you? Are you already back at the hotel?"

"No, not yet," JJ replied. "I'm still at the precinct, waiting to hear from Garcia, but Hotch told me if I don't hear anything soon to head back," she explained. "He's pretty concerned with the amount of rest I get as of lately."

"Which I greatly appreciate," Emily smiled, glad that the team was taking care of the blonde while she was away from her. "Sounds like you guys are pretty close to finding the unsub though," she then said. "Meaning you'll be home soon."

"I hope so," JJ replied, anxious to see both Emily and Alex.

"So I guess that means you'll be having that talk with Will soon then huh?" Emily then asked, sounding slightly nervous, JJ falling silent for a moment as she considered her reply.

"I guess I'll have to," JJ replied warily. "I mean I won't be able to put it off any longer, and I really want to talk to him in person rather than wait until I leave. I mean that didn't exactly go well the first time."

"No I know," Emily said, not hearing Alex sneaking down the stairs, the teen sitting on a step about halfway down, wanting to hear what her mother was talking about. "I get it. Really I do, it just…I'm…"

"I know this is hard for you Em," JJ sighed. "I know you wish you could be here, I want that too, but you're not and you know we can't change that, not until you've been cleared at least," she said. "I'm just going to hear him out and then we'll decide how we're going to do all this from there."

"How will that work though?" Emily questioned, her voice soft, but worried. "I mean Will's in New Orleans, we're here. What's going to happen? We bring the baby there every other weekend? Will comes here? I mean it's not exactly an easy trip, and neither of our jobs really allow for that much free time."

"I don't know Em," JJ sighed. "I know it all sounds extremely complicated, and I know it's not going to be easy, but we'll figure something out," she said. "I mean that's if that's even what Will wants."

"Right," Emily agreed, falling silent, her mind still full of worries, wishing the blonde could provide her with answers that would make her feel better.

"Em…"

"I'm sorry," Emily sighed, glancing towards the stairs, thinking she had heard a noise, but quickly brushing it off, having heard Alex go into her room earlier. "I don't mean to make this worse. The last thing I want to do is cause you more stress…I just…I can't help but worry."

"I know Em," JJ was quick to assure her. "I know you only ask because you care, and I love you for that," she said. "I'm going to talk to Will and then we're all going to figure this out okay? And you and I will talk about it as soon as I'm home. "

"Okay."

"Look I'm really sorry, but I should go, I really need to check in with Garcia," JJ reluctantly told the brunette, wishing she could keep her on the line, knowing the brunette would spend the rest of the night worrying about Will. "I'll call you when I get back to the hotel okay?"

"Yeah sure," Emily agreed, understanding the blonde needed to get back to work, but still hating it. "Stay safe honey. I love you."

"I love you too baby," JJ replied. "I'll talk to you soon," she said before hanging up.

Ending the call Emily couldn't help but sigh, everything she had talked to her mother about once again at the forefront of her mind. Sitting there alone, wishing she could forget her worries, the brunette knew she needed to talk to JJ; really talk to her about everything, before she could truly let it all go, something, which she would have to wait at least a couple days for. Sighing once again, Emily didn't hear the sound of slow, quiet footsteps making their way back upstairs.

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Making her way back into her room, Alex quietly pulled her bedroom door closed behind her, careful not to let it make too much noise behind her before making her way over to her bed, where she immediately let herself fall back against it. She knew she shouldn't have eavesdropped on Emily's conversation with JJ, but as she sat in her room, she couldn't stop thinking about everything that was going on with JJ and Will, so out of curiousity the teen went to sit on the stairs, wanting to listen in to see if the two women talked about it at all. Listening to Emily's side of the conversation though, Alex regretted her decision, recognizing the worry and sadness evident in the older brunette's voice.

Feeling bad about eavesdropping, Alex tried to take her mind off the whole thing, pulling out her journal and immediately beginning to write, something Dr. Sullivan had suggested she do when she was stressed, or having a difficult time with her emotions. Writing for nearly an hour, Alex continually glanced at her cell phone, thinking about making a call, but trying her best to avoid it.

When she finally realized that writing wasn't helping though, Alex picked up her phone, biting her lip as she hit the number 2 speed dial on her phone.

"Lex?" JJ's voice greeted after only a few rings. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, sorry," Alex replied, picking at her nails as she wondered how to bring up what she wanted to talk to the blonde about. "Sorry I don't want to bother you…I just…are you busy?"

"I can talk," JJ said, finding a quiet place to talk. "What's going on sweetie?" She asked, knowing there must be something going on for the teen to have called her so soon after they had just talked.

"I…I'm…I guess I'm just kind of worried," Alex stuttered nervously, feeling foolish since she was talking to JJ. "I'm guessing Mom told you she told me about Will yesterday?"

"She told me you two talked, yes," JJ replied in understanding, waiting for the teen to continue.

"I kind of overheard mom talking to you earlier, and she…she just sounds so worried, and I guess it's kind of freaking me out," Alex admitted, her voice quiet. "I mean I've never really seen her like this, and I know she said she told me everything now but I can't help but worry," she explained. "I mean there's no chance that…I mean you wouldn't…"

"Oh Lex no," JJ quickly interrupted, understanding what the teen was trying to ask. "Honey I love your mom okay? I love her more than anything, and I love you," she said. "This thing with Will has nothing to do with wanting to get back together. Neither one of us wants that at all. I promise you. The only reason I'm even taking the time to talk to him is because I'm carrying his son," she explained. "He deserves a chance to know him, and the baby deserves that too. That's all it is."

"So then how come mom seems so worried?"

"Honestly I'm not entirely sure about that yet," JJ replied with a sigh. "I think part of her just wants to be here with me, but I do think there's something else going on, which I am going to get to the bottom of as soon as I get home," she explained. "Your mom isn't the easiest person to get to open up, but I will talk to her. It's going to be okay."

Hearing these words, Alex couldn't help but feel an immediate sense of relief; hearing the honesty and emotion behind the blonde's words. "I'm sorry," she apologized, realizing how the phone call must have made her sound. "I didn't mean to…it's not that I don't trust you or anything like that, it's just…I just really love you and I don't know I guess I just got scared," she admitted. "I love our family. I'm happy with you and mom and I don't want any of that to change. I don't want to lose you."

"Oh honey you won't ever lose me," JJ was quick to assure her. "I would never do that to you or your mom," she said. "I love you both so much too Lex. I love our family, and I can't wait to raise this baby with your mom. I can't wait for you to be his big sister," she said, tears stinging her eyes as she heard the teen release a happy sob. "This is all a big mess right now, but as soon as we finish this case I'm going to fix it all okay? But I need you to do something for me in the meantime."

"W-what?" Alex asked.

"I need you to take care of your mom for me," JJ replied. "Just until I get back. Make sure she knows I love her and keep her positive. Help distract her from her worries. Can you do that for me?"

"Yeah," Alex smiled. "I can do that."

"Good," JJ replied, smile in her voice. "You okay?"

"I'm okay," Alex assured her. "Are you going to tell mom I called you?"

"You know, I think this one can stay between us," JJ said, knowing the teen was probably embarrassed that she had gotten so worked up, and that she had listened in on her mother's conversation. "I love you kid. Don't forget that okay?"

"I won't," Alex replied. "I love you too Jennifer," she said with a smile. "I love you too."


	8. Chapter 8

**HELLO!**

**So since the focus of this story has mostly been on the whole Will/JJ/Emily thing, and everyone seems pretty focused on that I decided to end the case in a pretty non-traditional way, so I hope you guys are okay with that!**

**Decided to have some more Alex/Emily bonding, and we finally get to have our Will/JJ talk! So I hope you won't be disappointed!**

**Thanks so much for reading! -J**

**Chapter 8**

It wasn't often that a case ended with sheer luck, but as Morgan and Reid walked into the small café the next day, with a picture of their suspect, it was to find the man sitting in the corner of the restaurant, his attention on a newspaper that sat in front of him. Not wanting to alert the man, the pair had attempted to approach him quietly, freezing when he eventually looked up, meeting their eyes and immediately pulling out a handgun, directing it at the Agents. A standoff had ensued for nearly 45 minutes; Morgan eventually convincing the man to drop his weapon and taking him into custody.

Morgan and Hotch had interrogated the man, who they eventually learned was one Alfred Mattheson, struggling to get answers from him, while the rest of the team searched his house, where they eventually found the gun he had used in the shootings. When Morgan had told Mattheson that they had found his gun and were going to match it to the bullets in their shooting victims, the 37-year-old man finally crumbled, confessing to everything.

"Well I definitely didn't see this one ending like this," JJ said, rubbing her stomach as she sat down next to Reid.

"Yeah I don't think any of us did," the young genius agreed. "I know Hotch was really worried about how we were going to find this guy before he struck again. We got lucky for sure."

"Thankfully," JJ sighed, flinching slightly as she rubbed her stomach. "Man this little guy is going to be one hell of a soccer player," she said. "Here you should feel," she said grabbing the younger Agent's hand and placing it on her bump where the baby's foot could be felt.

Allowing JJ to hold his hand in place, Reid remained still, feeling a light bump against it as the baby continued to kick. "Does that freak you out?" He eventually asked

"No," JJ replied, laughing slightly. "Why? Does it freak you out?"

"Very much so," Reid admitted, pulling his hand away and going back to his paperwork, JJ simply laughing and shaking her head at the genius' response, just as Will walked over, having just gotten back from Mattheson's house.

"Well this has been interesting," the Detective said to the blonde, Reid looking up from his paperwork, discreetly watching the interaction.

"To say the least," JJ smiled, knowing Reid was watching them, but doing her best to ignore him. "Definitely not our most typical ending to a case, but at least we got the guy. Everyone can sleep easier tonight."

"For sure," Will nodded. "I can't thank you guys enough for coming down here," he then said. "I mean I know we got lucky finding this guy the way we did, but we never would have even gotten here without you all. So thank you."

"Of course," JJ replied with a small smile. "We're happy we could help."

"Are you all leaving right away?"

"Actually we're going to stick around and help get this all closed up," JJ replied, having asked Hotch for a little extra time after they were finished with the case so she could talk to Will. "We'll fly out first thing in the morning."

"Oh...uh okay," Will said, glancing quickly at Reid before turning back to the blonde. "So uh we should probably talk later?"

"Definitely," JJ nodded, feeling her cheeks flush, really wishing Reid wasn't sitting beside her listening in since she hadn't really talked to the team much about what she was going to do about Will. "Find me when you're finished for the day?"

"Sure," Will quickly agreed. "I will see you later then."

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When Alex had returned from school to hear that the team had finished up with the case, she was both excited and scared, happy that JJ would be coming home, but understanding that it meant that the blonde would be having her talk with Will very soon. Emily had explained that the team was staying one more night in New Orleans, not mentioning the reason why; though Alex knew what it was. Wanting to keep things positive though, Alex vowed to keep her promise to JJ; making it her own personal mission to keep Emily distracted all night so she didn't spend all her time worrying about JJ.

Having quite a bit of homework to do, the teen decided to ask for her mother's help; something, which she truly didn't need, but decided to take anyways, tossing around ideas for the paper she was writing with the older brunette for over half an hour, before suggesting a trip to the library for resources. By the time the pair had returned home, they were both rather famished; Alex volunteering to help Emily make dinner, a task, which actually turned out to be rather fun for both females.

"We should make dinner together more often," Alex said as she helped Emily load the dishwasher later that night. "That was a lot of fun. And it actually turned out really good."

"You sound surprised by that," Emily laughed, taking the last dish Alex handed her and placing it in the washer before closing it up. "It was a pretty simple dish, but cooking really isn't all that hard. I mean you did pretty well tonight."

"I guess," Alex shrugged. "Though I don't think I would be any good on my own. I'll have to stick to helping you," she smiled. "You wanna watch TV while I work on my math homework?" She then suggested. "I think there's a Full House marathon on."

"Sure," Emily smiled. "But don't you think you should do your homework somewhere quiet? And not in front of the television?"

"Probably but come on, how am I supposed to focus when I know I'm missing a Full House marathon? I promise I will do my work while we watch," Alex replied. "Plus I might need your help."

"Oh really?" Emily asked, raising her eyebrow, knowing the teen was a whiz when it came to math.

"Yeah, the stuff we've been working on is pretty hard," Alex lied, sitting down in front of the coffee table and opening up her textbook. "Sometimes it just helps to have a little guidance."

"Oh, okay then," Emily nodded, recognizing that the teen was lying but deciding to let it go, having a pretty good idea why the teen was insisting on sticking by her side.

The next hour and a half was spent with Alex sitting up against the couch, doing her homework while occasionally breaking to watch parts of the television show, or discuss something with Emily. Every now and then the teen remembered that she was supposed to be having trouble with her homework, asking her mother random questions that she already knew the answer to, acting like she finally understood after the older brunette explained it to her. When she finally finished with the last question, Alex climbed up on the couch next to Emily, cuddling up on the side of her good arm, sighing as her mother's hand automatically ran through her hair; the pair settling in to the next episode of the family sitcom.

"You know me and my mom used to watch this show all the time," Alex eventually said, suddenly struck by a memory of spending nights just like this with her adoptive mother when she was little. "I always thought it was so funny and I wanted to be Michelle," she explained. "My mom loved it because she had a thing for John Stamos," she said, making Emily laugh.

"I won't lie I haven't seen much of this show," Emily admitted. "I remember catching a few episodes here and there back when it used to play, but this is the first time I've watched this much of it," she explained. "It's cute though. I like it."

"I love it," Alex smiled, falling silent as her attention turned to the TV once more. "Have you ever been to San Francisco?" She then asked as the episode ended.

"Umm we had a case there once," Emily replied, biting her lip in thought. "We were there for about a week, but I only really saw the crime scenes and the police station," she explained.

"I don't know how you guys do that," Alex said, shaking her head. "I mean you go to all those places all over the country and yet you hardly get to see any of it," she explained, seeing Emily's confusion. "I could never do it."

"It can be hard sometimes," Emily agreed. "But you get used to it. I mean it's all part of the job. And I guess for me personally it's not that difficult given the amount of travelling I've done over my lifetime."

"You're so lucky; living in all those different places," the teen replied, having heard about Emily's many homes growing up in great detail. "You've been all over the world. I've hardly been anywhere. I mean I haven't even ever been to Disney World." she sighed.

"You know I can take you to Disney World," Emily laughed, Alex's face immediately lighting up.

"Really?!"

"Of course," Emily replied easily. "I would love to take you. I mean we may need to wait until JJ's had the baby and he's a little bigger but we can definitely do that," she said. "We could even do some more serious travelling at some point. Like Europe maybe?"

"You're joking?" Alex asked, her tone one of complete shock.

"I don't joke about travelling," Emily replied with a smile, suddenly wondering why she hadn't thought of doing something like this with Alex sooner. "I mean I'd love to take you around Europe. Show you all the sights. "

"That would be like…oh my God," the teen replied, at a loss for words. "I just don't even know what to…that would be so awesome," she finally spit out, looking up at Emily with wide eyes, which were brimming with tears, feeling overwhelmed.

"Well I guess we will have to make some plans," Emily said, putting her arm around Alex's shoulder and pulling her closer so she could kiss the teen's head.

"I love you," Alex said in reply, resting her head against her mother's shoulder.

"I love you too sweetheart," Emily replied, kissing the top of Alex's head a second time. "And thank you for tonight."

"What do you mean?" Alex asked, looking up in confusion.

"I know you know that JJ is talking to Will tonight," Emily replied. "So I know you've been trying to distract me from that, so thank you."

"I…" Alex began to lie, before changing her mind, smiling. "You're welcome."

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For JJ the rest of the day seemed to drag on; the blonde spending most of the day watching the clock, her stomach filled with nerves at the prospect of talking to Will later that day. The media liaison had held a press conference with the chief of police, informing the public that they had caught their killer, before sitting back down beside Reid to finish up the last of their paperwork. Throughout the day Reid attempted to start up various conversations with JJ, but the blonde struggled to keep up, her mind reeling.

As 6pm rolled around though, the blonde's nerves increased tenfold, as Will came out of his boss' office, heading her way, while the rest of the team gathered in the conference room, making plans for dinner for the night.

"Hey, you still finishing up?" Will asked as he approached the desk where JJ was working.

"Actually we're all done," JJ replied, trying to force a smile despite the anxiety she was feeling. "The guys were actually going to head out for dinner soon. I was just waiting for you. Are we still good to talk?"

"Definitely," Will nodded. "I uh…I'm actually kind of hungry myself, do you mind if we go grab a bite while we talk?" He asked. "I know a place not far from here. I can drive, or you can follow me there."

"I'll just follow you so you don't have to drive me back to the hotel," JJ replied, unsure if she wanted to spend even a little extra time with Will given the fact that she wasn't sure how this conversation was going to go. "Hotch left me one of the SUVs anyways."

"Alright, well I just want to thank the rest of the team, and then we can get going if that's alright," Will suggested, suddenly looking rather nervous.

"Sounds good," JJ quickly agreed, following Will to where the team was waiting, watching as the Detective exchange an awkward goodbye with the guys, before telling JJ he would meet her outside.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable JJ attempted to simply tell the guys she would see them in the morning before moving to follow Will, but before she could even make it across the precinct, the blonde felt a hand on her shoulder; turning around to find Morgan standing there looking worried.

"Hey Jayje, are you sure you're gonna be okay?" He asked, his concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah I'll be fine," JJ quickly assured him, trying her best to look confident. "We're just going to talk. It'll be fine Derek."

"Alright, but if you need anything you know how to find me," Morgan said, wanting the blonde to know he was there for her if she needed someone to talk to.

"Thanks Derek," JJ smiled, reaching out and giving her friend's hand a squeeze, greatly appreciating the support. "I'll talk to you later."

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JJ followed Will to a pub not too far from the precinct, getting out of the SUV to join the Detective, who waited for her beside his car, playing with his hands nervously; both feeling unsure about how this conversation would go.

"You come here often?" JJ asked in order to break the awkward silence on their way to the building.

"Most Friday nights with the guys actually," Will replied with a small smile. "The people here are great and the food is just as good. You won't find anything here you won't like."

"That's perfect because I am dying for a burger right now," JJ said, following Will into the restaurant and towards a table. "And onion rings. I would probably pay anything for onion rings right now."

"Well onion rings it is then," Will laughed, shaking his head. "Have you been getting a lot of those then? Cravings I mean," he asked.

"All the time," JJ replied with a laugh of her own. "Usually it's just anything sweet, but every now and then I just find that I have to have something specific. It's a bit of a problem," she explained just as their waitress came over, taking their orders right away since they both knew what they wanted, both falling silent when she walked away, knowing they needed to get talking about serious things.

"So I've been thinking about you all week," Will eventually began, sounding slightly unsure of himself. "You and the baby I mean," he clarified. "Well to be honest I've been thinking about it all a lot longer than that, but I know I owe you some answers, but first I just want to say that I really am sorry for the way I treated you JJ," he said. "I should've done something when you told me about the baby. I should have said something…I just…I got…"

"Scared?" JJ finished, receiving a nod in reply. "Trust me Will, I get it. I was terrified when I first found out, so I get it. I just don't get how you could go on knowing you were going to be a father. I don't get how you could go on all this time ignoring me."

"I know JJ," Will sighed, not entirely sure what to say.

"Have you even told your girlfriend yet?" JJ then asked, Will remaining silent for a moment before finally shaking his head, looking ashamed. "Look Will, I'm willing to do what you want here. I'm willing to let you in this little guy's life, if that's what you want, but you need to tell me. I need to know what you're thinking."

Nodding Will bit his lip, considering his next words carefully before beginning. "You know when I found out you were pregnant, I was scared," he explained. "Not because I was dating someone else and I thought she would freak, but because I…I don't know if I'm ready to be a father JJ," he admitted. "I mean honestly I've never really even thought about having kids, and JJ I…I don't know how I'm supposed to be a father when I'm here and you're in Virginia," he said. "I don't want to be that kind of dad. I mean don't you think your son deserves better than that?"

"So what are you saying?" JJ asked, not missing the fact that Will had referred to the baby as her son and not theirs.

"You're happy right?" Will asked, falling silent as their waitress returned with their food, waiting until she was gone to begin again. "With Emily I mean. You're happy?"

"Of course."

"And she's going to be there for you?" He asked. "She'll be raising the baby with you?"

"Well yes," JJ replied. "But that doesn't mean that…I mean you could still…"

"I know that JJ," Will sighed. "But what kind of father am I really going to be from here? I don't want to be a part time dad. I don't want the little guy to grow up constantly disappointed because I'm never around," he continued. "I don't want to hurt you JJ, but I think that the best thing I can do for all of you is let go," he said, looking up and meeting the blonde's blue eyes for the first time. "I don't know if I'm being a coward, or a jerk, but I truly think that this is the right choice for all of us. I'll sign over my rights…to Emily if that's what you want. You guys should get to be a family…without my interference."

"And what if when he grows up he asks about you?" JJ asked, unable to keep the emotions out of her voice. "What if he asks about his father?"

"Then you can tell him, that his father loved him, and gave him up so that he could have the best life possible, with you and Emily," Will replied, taking JJ's hand as he watched a tear slip down her cheek. "I'm sorry if this hurts you JJ…really I am. But I truly think that this is for the best. You guys will be okay without me."

"And you'll be okay with this decision?" JJ asked, not wanting the man to change his mind years down the line. "You won't regret it?"

"I'm sure it won't be easy," Will replied. "But I'll know that he's happy. That he's loved and cared for. That's all that matters."

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**Next up JJ FINALLY gets home, and talks to Emily and Alex about everything!**

**Possibly only 1 or 2 chapters left in this story my friends! But worry not I've got plans for a lot more!**


	9. Chapter 9

**HELLO!**

**So I'm pretty happy with how this chapter turned out, and I really hope you all will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! I was going to end the story here, but I decided I'm going to do one more chapter, which will probably be something light and happy, and with the whole team since we haven't seen much of them this story! So hopefully I will get that up quickly so I can get started on the next story!**

**Thanks so much for reading! –J**

**P.S. Who else is really excited that AJ Cook is pregnant again?! **

**Chapter 9**

JJ had called Emily after her talk with Will, sounding emotional, but quickly assuring Emily that everything was fine. Though the brunette had wanted to know what happened right away, JJ had begged her to let her tell her in person, explaining that she would be coming straight home after they landed in Virginia the next morning. Reluctant, but understanding, Emily had agreed, knowing she would probably want the same thing if she was in JJ's place; talking with the blonde a little longer before hanging up with her, joining Alex in her room, where they both eventually fell asleep.

The next morning Alex had asked quite a few questions about JJ, wanting to know what was going on, but eventually accepting Emily's assurance that they would tell her everything when she returned from school so they could all talk together. As the teen left for school though, Emily realized that keeping her mind off what she was about to find out was nearly impossible; her nerves getting worse and worse with each passing minute.

Desperate to ease her anxiety, Emily had pulled off her sling, practicing some of the exercises her doctor had given her in order to pass time, before eventually curling up on the couch with Sergio at her side. The brunette had opened up the nearest book; one which turned out to be Alex's, allowing herself to get lost in the story, not even hearing JJ's car as she pulled into the driveway.

It wasn't until the blonde opened up the front door, that Emily realized she had returned, the brunette quickly dropping the book and making her way around the couch, watching as JJ dropped her bags at the door; an exhausted look on her face.

"Hi," JJ greeted with a small wave, sighing as Emily quickly made her way over, wrapping her arms around her in a firm hug. "God I missed you," the blonde whispered, inhaling the scent of her girlfriend, an immediate sense of relief washing over her.

"Oh babe, you have no idea," Emily replied, forgetting her nerves and the conversation she knew they had to have now that they were in each other's arms. "I've missed you so much. I'm so glad you're back."

"Me too," JJ sighed, giving her girlfriend one final squeeze before pulling away, taking Emily's hands in hers. "No more sling. How's the arm?"

"Still a little weak, but it's a lot better," Emily replied with a shrug, pulling on the blonde's hand and leading her towards the family room. "Come on, we'll get your bags later, I want to hear what happened with Will," she said, unable to wait any longer.

Allowing the brunette to lead her to the couch, JJ sat down, taking a deep breathe as she turned towards her girlfriend, keeping their hands together as she gave her a small smile. "Listen, I know you're anxious and you want to hear everything, and I assure you that everything is fine, and I will tell you everything soon, but first I need you to tell me something," she explained, receiving a confused look from Emily, whom was now biting her lip. "What's been really going on with you Em?" She asked, Emily opening up her mouth to assure her it was nothing before JJ cut her off. "I know something's been going on, and it's more than the fact that you couldn't be there to talk to Will with me, so please Emily. Just be honest with me. What is it?"

"I just…it's…" Emily sighed, realizing she needed to be honest or she risked making things worse. "I got scared," she admitted, shrugging a shoulder. "When Will wouldn't return your calls or emails after you told him about the baby I thought, well that's it. He's not going to be involved. We'll raise the baby together and he wouldn't matter," she explained. "Then we got this case and I realized that it wasn't going to be that simple. He wasn't going to be able to ignore you anymore, and I knew that meant that everything could be different. I completely understand your reasoning for wanting to give him a chance, but I was worried about what his involvement would mean for me."

"Em,"

"Wait just let me…let me finish," Emily said, wanting to get it all out before the blonde said anything. "I love you, and even though he's not here yet I love your baby, because he's a part of you and I want us all to be a family. You, me, Alex and the baby, but the truth is I'm worried about where Will fits in all of this, and what his involvement would mean for my relationship with your son," she explained. "You're the baby's mom, and Will's the dad, and I just don't know where that leaves me, and so I got scared," she admitted, a tear slipping down her cheek; JJ immediately reaching out a hand to wipe it away.

"Emily look at me," the blonde said, tilting the brunette's chin so she could look her in the eye. "Listen to me okay. I love you. I love our family. I asked you to be in this baby's life with me because I want you in my life forever. I want to do this with you, so no matter wha,t you are this baby's parent too Em," she said, squeezing her hand. "I want you to be his Mama. We're a family Em. Nothing is going to change that."

Overwhelmed, Emily allowed a few more tears to slip down her cheeks, reaching up to wipe the tears that followed a similar path down JJ's face, leaning forward to place a light kiss against the blonde's lips. "I want all that too," Emily finally replied when she was able to talk. "I love you so much," she said pulling the blonde in for another kiss, resting their foreheads together when she eventually pulled away. "Will wants to see him doesn't he?" She asked finally unafraid of hearing the answer.

"No he doesn't," JJ replied, Emily pulling away with an expression of both confusion and surprise written on her face. "He wants the baby to be happy, and loved. He wants him to be cared for and to have the best life possible, and he decided that he didn't want to be a part-time dad, who never got to see his kid. He didn't want to do that to him, so he decided to sign his rights over," she explained, tears still cascading down her face. "I'll have to fax him the forms as soon as I talk to someone about it…a lawyer or whoever deals with these kinds of things, but he's signing over all his rights," she repeated. "To you."

"To…me…" Emily muttered in shock. "W-what?"

"He's going to give up his rights to the baby," JJ repeated even though she knew Emily had already heard that. "And he assured me that he wouldn't change his mind since he knew that the baby would lead a happy life….with us…you and me."

"So that's it?" Emily asked, still staring at the blonde in disbelief.

"Well besides the paperwork yes," JJ replied, a small smile now playing at her lips at the look on the brunette's face.

Overwhelmed and at a loss for words, Emily reached a hand around JJ's head, pulling the blonde towards her and into a kiss. "I can't believe this," she said when she eventually pulled away, running her fingers through the blonde's hair. "Are…are you okay with all of this? I mean I know you wanted the baby to be able to know his father."

"I won't lie I was a little hurt at first," JJ admitted. "But the more I thought about it, the more I understood and honestly I'm just so happy that we get to do this together. You, me, Alex and little peanut here," she said, hand on her stomach. "You 3 are all I need and I just can't wait to meet _our _son."

"Our son," Emily smiled, pulling JJ in for another kiss. "I love the sound of that."

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Since she had spent most of the night before thinking about everything that had happened with Will, and had to be up early to make the flight with the team, JJ was exhausted. Elated by the news about Will, Emily had insisted JJ get some rest, suggesting the blonde head up to shower before taking a nap. Emily had joined her girlfriend in bed for a while, wrapping her arms around the blonde; too happy to fall asleep, but enjoying spending time with JJ, who she had missed so much.

Eventually getting hungry, Emily extracted herself from the bed, quietly making her way out of the room, heading downstairs to grab something to eat, deciding she would make something for JJ as well and bring it up for her to eat in bed. The brunette was just in the midst of pulling out things to make a couple grilled cheese sandwiches when the sound of the doorbell ringing filled the house.

Not expecting anyone, Emily made her way over to the door, peeking out the front window to find Aaron Hotchner standing on the front porch. Having not spoken to the Unit Chief since finding out her had assigned someone to watch her house, Emily couldn't help but sigh, not quite ready to talk to her boss as she opened up the door.

"Hi," Emily greeted unenthusiastically, unable to meet Hotch's eyes.

"Hi," Hotch replied awkwardly. "Look I don't want to bug you, especially when JJ just got home and everything but I really think you and I should talk. Can I come in?" He asked, Emily looking up and biting her lip, apparently contemplating her answer. "Please?"

"Sure," Emily eventually answered, moving aside so Hotch could enter, closing the door behind him before turning to face him, crossing her arms over her chest. "What's up?"

"Emily," Hotch sighed, knowing his Agent knew why he was there. "Look I'm sorry about assigning someone to your house. You're a damn fine Agent, I know that, but I was worried about Parrilla and so I made a decision in order to make sure you and Alex were safe," he explained. "I realize that I went about it the wrong way though."

"Yes you did," Emily agreed, keeping her tone serious, refusing to forgive too easily. "I understand you wanting to keep us safe, and really I appreciate that, but I don't get why you wouldn't tell me about it, or I don't know, ask me if I was okay with it."

"You're right, I know," Hotch nodded. "I can't apologize enough Emily, and I hope you and Alex will forgive me. I know I kind of made things worse. I never meant to scare Alex like that, so I'm sorry."

"Why didn't you tell me though?" Emily asked, her tone softer, losing some of her resolve.

"Because I knew if I told you that you'd refuse," Hotch replied, a smile playing at his lips, eventually breaking out in a grin when Emily couldn't help but smile, knowing her boss was right.

"You're probably right," Emily laughed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry I yelled at you that day. I mean you kind of deserved it, but I'm sorry. You were just trying to help," she said. "Has there been any word on Parrilla?"

"I've been in constant contact with the Alexandria police department, but they haven't had any new leads, and he hasn't been sighted anywhere else," Hotch replied, wishing her had better news. "We will find him Emily. It may take some time, but eventually he's going to make a mistake or he's going to do something stupid and we'll get him."

"And in the meantime?"

"In the meantime we keep up with all of our contacts while we work other cases, and we make sure that you and Alex keep your heads up just in case," Hotch explained. "We're not going to let anything happen to either one of you."

"I know," Emily replied, a genuine smile on her face. "Thanks Hotch."

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Alex could barely contain her excitement as she and Spencer got off the school bus later that day, knowing JJ would be home. Though she really wasn't sure what happened with Will and was slightly anxious about it, the teen couldn't help but feel happy about getting to see the blonde, whom she had missed a lot the last few days. Fueled by her excitement Alex immediately began speed walking towards her house, Spencer attempting to keep up beside her.

"Geez Lex will you slow down," Spencer called, struggling with her backpack, which was stuffed with all of her books. "What's the rush?"

"JJ's home," Alex replied, not slowing down as their houses came into view. "I need to find out what happened with Will, and I want to see her," she explained. "Listen I'll call you later okay?" She said, crossing the street and jogging towards her house.

"Talk to you later," Spencer replied with a laugh, having to yell so her friend would hear her, heading towards her own house.

"JJ? Mom?" Alex called out as soon as she was in the front door, Emily popping her head around the corner from the kitchen. "Where's JJ?" The teen immediately asked, not seeing the blonde.

"Wow nice to see you too sweetheart," Emily laughed, receiving an annoyed expression from the teen in reply. "So glad you missed me while you were at school," she continued to tease.

"Yeah yeah, hi mom I missed you," Alex said, rolling her eyes as she wrapped the older brunette in a hug. "Now where's JJ?"

"She's upstairs," Emily replied, shaking her head with a laugh. "She just woke up. I was just going to bring her some tea."

"I'll do it," Alex quickly offered. "I mean can I?"

"Sure," Emily smiled as Alex quickly dropped her backpack at her feet. "We all need to talk later, but you go upstairs and hang out for a bit. You two should have some time to catch up."

"Great," Alex replied, a big smile on her face as she headed upstairs and towards the master bedroom, peaking her head in the room when she got to the open door. "JJ?" She called, the blonde immediately raising her head upon hearing the teen's voice.

"Lex," JJ grinned, sitting up. "Get over here you," she said, patting the bed next to her, Alex smiling as she quickly made her way over, placing JJ's tea on the nightstand before getting into the bed beside the blonde. "I missed you kid," the blonde sighed, wrapping her arms around the teen.

"I missed you too," Alex sighed, relaxing into the blonde's embrace. "I'm so glad you're home. How are you feeling?"

"Good," JJ smiled. "Much better after spending all afternoon in bed. I was so exhausted on the case and the hotel bed was awful. Definitely missed this bed," she explained with a laugh. "How are things going with you though? How has school been? What's been going on?"

"Well school has been good," Alex replied, laughing at all the questions. "I had a pop quiz in math today but it was pretty easy. Definitely think I aced it," she explained. "There really hasn't been much going on since you left though. Just the same old stuff; been hanging out with the girls, and Logan. You know…the usual."

"Good, that's good," JJ said, running a hand through the teen's long hair as they both leaned back against the headboard, JJ's arm still wrapped around Alex's shoulders. "You know your mom and I want to talk to you about a few things."

"I know, Mom mentioned that," Alex said. "Could we stay here a little bit longer though?" She then asked. "Just hang out?"

"I think that just perfect," JJ smiled, happy to be back with the teen, whom she loved so much.

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"Alright let's hear it," Alex said later that night, plopping down on the couch beside JJ as Emily took a seat on the chair across from them. "I'm assuming this is about Will? You guys can just tell me. I promise I won't freak out. We don't have to make a big deal about it."

At this Emily couldn't help but laugh, realizing the teen was expecting bad news. "Well you're right it is about Will," she said. "We just thought you'd want to know what happened and what he decided."

"Okay," Alex nodded. "And that would be?"

"Will doesn't want to see the baby," JJ replied, Alex's head turning towards her quickly, a look of confusion written on her face. "He decided to sign over his rights….to Emily."

"Wait. What?" Alex exclaimed, a smile on her face. "You're joking right?" She asked, JJ shaking her head with a grin. "That's great! I mean that is great right?"

"It is," JJ laughed, unable to hold back a smile at the teen's reaction. "I mean it's hard knowing that he won't get to know his father," she said, hand on her stomach. "But he's going to be so loved and I'm just so happy to have you and your mom. We have a pretty great family, so I know that this little guy is going to be just fine."

"Plus he'll have plenty of father figures in his life," Emily pointed out. "I mean between Morgan, Hotch, Rossi and Reid the kid won't exactly be lacking in male role models."

"Plus he's going to have a very protective big sister to take care of him," Alex said, still smiling as she moved over to hug the blonde, squeezing her tightly.

Upon seeing this Emily couldn't keep the smile off her own face, feeling even happier about the news than when JJ had first told her; glad that Alex had so easily embraced their life with JJ and the baby. Realizing they still needed talk to Alex about something much more serious, Emily's smile quickly faded, wishing she didn't have to tell her daughter something that would so easily take away this joyful moment.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked having let go of JJ to turn towards her mother to find the older brunette with a frown on her face. "Why don't you look happy?" She asked; her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Oh honey, I am," Emily quickly assured her. "Trust me I'm thrilled, but there's uh…there's actually something else we wanted to talk to you about…and suddenly I'm realizing that maybe we should have saved this news for last."

"Oh," Alex replied, looking from Emily to JJ, both now looking rather stressed. "Well what…what is it?" She asked worriedly.

"Well it's about Parrilla," Emily said, grateful as JJ reached out and took Alex's hand, as the teen looked immediately worried at the sound of the man's name. "There still haven't been any leads, and we just wanted to make sure that you know that the team is still doing everything we can to find him," she explained. "And I know I said that we don't really know if he'll come after me, or you, or anyone else for that matter, but I just…we just don't want you to worry okay? I know it's a bit scary but we're not going to let anything happen to you."

"But you're going back to work soon aren't you?" Alex asked. "And the team is going to be working other cases?"

"Well yes," Emily replied biting her lip.

"So then how can you be so sure that I'll be fine?" The teen asked her tone worried.

"Because we're still tracking Parrilla," JJ answered, seeing Emily's hesitation. "We're looking everywhere for him and when he finally makes a move we'll find him," she explained. "Plus we have no reason to really believe that Parrilla even knows Emily has a daughter, so there's really nothing to worry about. We just want to make sure that you're aware…that you're being careful when we aren't here okay? No wandering off alone. Stay with one of the Hastings at all times and just be extra careful just in case. You can do that right?"

"Yeah of course," Alex nodded, her eyes still wide with worry.

"Everything's going to be fine," Emily said, finally finding her voice as she rose from her seat, coming around the coffee table to sit next to the teen. "I trust the team and everyone we have looking for this guy, so you should too okay? It's going to be fine," she said, pulling the teen towards her and kissing the side of her head.

"I know," Alex nodded with a small smile, wrapping her arms around her mother with a sigh. "It'll be fine."


	10. Chapter 10

**So to be honest I originally had very different plans for this last chapter, but at some point I decided I really wanted some Emily/Spencer Hastings bonding and so this chapter turned into a little something different! I hope you guys don't mind!**

**I already know what my next story is about (haven't come up with a name yet though), but I will start posting just as soon as I get the first chapter written out!**

**Thanks so much to everyone who stuck with this story! You guys rock!**

**-J**

**Chapter 10**

"Hey don't you have homework missy?" Emily asked as she stood in the doorway of the game room having just finished cleaning up the dinner dishes in the kitchen, finding Alex spread out on the couch playing a video game. "I thought you said you had a bunch of math questions."

"I do but they'll be easy," Alex replied, not taking her eyes off the screen. "Just five more minutes?"

"You know the rules kid. Homework first," Emily said, shaking her head. "Get moving."

"Fine," Alex sighed dramatically, turning off the game and dropping the controller on the table. "Such a party pooper," she teased as she walked past the older brunette, earning herself a playful swat.

"Aw is she ruining your fun again Lex?" JJ asked as she came out of the washroom, watching as Alex made her way towards the stairs.

"Like usual," Alex replied, with the hint of a grin. "She's banishing me to my room and making me do math problems."

"So cruel Emily," JJ laughed, shaking her head at the annoyed expression on Emily's face.

"Yes, yes I'm a terrible mother," Emily said rolling her eyes. "Now get up there you drama queen," she said turning to Alex who couldn't stop giggling. "Come back down and hang out when you're done."

"Yes ma'am," Alex saluted, earning a glare from her mother, the teen laughing as she ran the rest of the way up the stairs and to her room.

Once in her room Alex pulled out her math books, placing them on her desk while she silently cursed her math teacher for always assigning so much homework. Sighing, the teen grabbed a pencil, opening up her notebook and textbook and starting with the first question. Since she was pretty good with math the questions were easy, but time-consuming work; 12 questions in, when her cell phone began to ring with Spencer's name lighting up the screen.

"Hey Spence, what's up?" Alex greeted, grateful for the interruption.

"Hey," Spencer replied, sounding upset. "Are you busy?"

"I'm just working on my math, but that's okay," Alex said. "What's wrong? You sound upset."

"It's…it's kind of a long story," Spencer answered quietly. "Do you think maybe I could come over? And maybe stay the night? I…I had a fight with my parents and I just really need to get out of here," she explained. "I'll tell them we have a project to work on or something. I doubt they'll miss me. Do you think your moms would mind?"

"I'll ask," Alex replied quickly, concerned by her friend's tone. "Just give me a sec," she said, putting her phone on hold as she ran down the stairs to where Emily and JJ were watching TV on the couch. "Mom Spencer's on the phone and she's asking if she could stay over tonight. She had a fight with her parents or something and she sounds really upset," she explained, looking worried. "Would it be okay? I promise we'll work on our homework."

"Of course," Emily quickly agreed, seeing the concern on her daughter's face. "As long as it's okay with her parents."

"Thanks," Alex nodded, taking her phone off hold and putting it back against her ear. "Spence? Mom says it's fine, so come whenever you're ready."

"Thanks Alex, see you in a few" Spencer replied before hanging up.

"What was the fight about?" JJ asked as Alex hung up her phone.

"I'm not sure," Alex shrugged. "She said it was a long story, but she definitely didn't sound like herself," she explained biting her lip. "It must have been bad for her to ask to come over though, I mean normally she's very strict about her study schedule during the week."

"Well hopefully she'll talk about it when she gets here," Emily said as Alex nodded.

"I hope so," Alex agreed. "I'm gonna head back upstairs though, just send Spencer up when she gets here."

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When she had arrived Spencer had looked rather solemn, giving Emily a small smile as she was let in, thanking the older brunette for letting her come over before excusing herself to Alex's room. Hoping the teen would talk to her friend, Emily rejoined JJ on the couch where she cuddled up close, running her fingers through the blonde's long locks.

"You know I haven't spent a lot of time with the Hastings but they seem rather intense," JJ said some time later, breaking the silence that the pair had been engulfed in. "I mean Spencer's rather intense herself in terms of her studies, but it can't be easy having parents like that."

"It's not," Emily sighed, knowing exactly what it felt like to have parents who were constantly on her about everything when she was young. "I'm assuming the stress of it all finally got to her. She seemed so quiet when she came in."

"You know it might be good for her to talk to someone who understands what she's dealing with," JJ suggested, worried that Spencer probably wasn't opening up to Alex upstairs. "Someone who's been there and gotten through it."

"Do you really think she'll talk to me?" Emily asked, picking at her nails.

"I think it wouldn't hurt to try," JJ replied, feeling pretty confident that Emily would know what to say to make the teen feel better. "Why don't you go up there and invite the girls to our spa day with Garcia this weekend. Tell Alex to call and invite Zoey and Olivia as well, she'll get the hint."

"You've put a lot of thought into this Jennifer," Emily laughed, realizing the blonde must have been thinking about her daughter's friend the whole time they were sitting together.

"I'm just worried," JJ shrugged. "Now get going," she said, giving the brunette a light shove, encouraging her to get off the couch. "Go talk."

"Yes ma'am," Emily smiled, leaving the blonde on the couch with a laugh as she headed upstairs towards her daughter's bedroom. "Hey girls how's it going with the homework?" She asked, poking her head in the door to find Alex working at her desk, while Spencer was spread out on the bed, both still working on assignments.

"Pretty good," Alex replied, throwing a worried look towards her friend for her mother to see. "I think we're both almost finished," she said, looking towards Spencer's notebook.

"That's good," Emily said, watching Spencer as she kept her attention on her notebook. "Well Jen and I were just talking about this weekend, and we thought that maybe you girls would want to join us for a spa day on Saturday before our dinner with the team," she explained.

"Just me and Spencer?" Alex asked.

"And Zoey and Olivia too," Emily smiled. "My treat. Thought you girls could use it and you'll all be here anyways since your slumber party is here this week."

"Awesome, that sounds great." Alex replied, looking towards her friend. "What do you think Spence?"

"Sure sounds good," Spencer nodded, attempting a small smile, that didn't come close to reaching her eyes.

"Great," Emily said before turning her attention back towards Alex. "Lex why don't you call Zoey and Liv and see if they want to go as well," she suggested. "And maybe get yourself a snack as well?"

"Good idea," Alex smiled in understanding, grabbing her phone before standing from her seat, making her way towards the door. "I'll be back," she said, giving her mother's hand a squeeze on her way past before heading downstairs.

With Alex making her way down the stairs, Emily entered the teen's bedroom, heading over towards where Spencer continued to work on her homework; the teen doing her best to act like her friend's mother wasn't still there.

"Hey sweetie," Emily said, sitting on the edge of the bed next to the teen who had become like family since her daughter had met her. "You doing okay?"

"I'm fine," Spencer shrugged, much like Alex would respond, making Emily sigh at the stubbornness of teenagers. "It was just a stupid fight."

"Well do you want to talk about it?" Emily asked, receiving another shrug in reply. "It might help."

"I got a B on my history paper," Spencer eventually muttered, putting down her pencil.

"A B is good."

"Try telling my parents that," Spencer sighed, sitting up so she could face her friend's mother. "Melissa never gets Bs. She's a straight A student. But I had two tests last week and I missed a day because of debate team so I had a hard time with the paper," she explained. "I aced my tests but my parents didn't even care about those. They saw the B and immediately started in on a lecture about how I'll never get into a good college if I let my grades slip now and why can't I be more like Melissa," she continued. "I'm only a freshman," she said, her eyes welling up with tears. "I study so hard, and I'm in like every club, but it's still not good enough. I'm never good enough."

"Oh honey that's not true," Emily replied, rubbing a hand comfortingly up and down the teen's back. "Sweetie you are more than good enough, do you hear me?" She said tilting Spencer's chin to make sure she was looking her in the eyes. "Sometimes parents want what's best for their kids so badly that they forget what's really important. You know when I was younger my parents were a lot like your parents," she revealed. "I mean I didn't have an older sibling to be compared to, but they were so concerned with appearances that I couldn't do anything right in their eyes, so trust me when I say I completely understand what you're going through sweetheart."

"But how did you get through it?" Spencer asked tearfully, unembarrassed. "I mean I'm only 14 and I'm already stressed beyond relief. I don't know how long I can keep going like this. I just want to be a teenager without all of the added worries, but I don't know how."

"I wish I had the right answer for that kiddo," Emily sighed. "I won't lie when I was your age I went about things the completely wrong way. I was angry at my parents so I acted out and ultimately strained my relationship with both of them," she explained. "And then I did something that I didn't think they would ever forgive."

"What's that?"

"I got pregnant," Emily replied with a shrug. "Which ruined my relationship with my parents even more for a very long time, and honestly it wasn't until recently that I was finally able to repair that, with my mother at least," she explained, taking a short pause. "Look sweetie, I know it's hard and I know you're feeling way more stress than someone your age should be feeling, but I hope you know that your parents do love you. They love you and they so badly want to see you succeed, and yes, maybe they are going about it the wrong way, but they're trying. I don't want you to feel like you're not good enough though Spencer," she said, taking the teen's hand. "You're one of the smartest kids I know, and you're such a great girl! I know it's hard but you just need to keep doing what you're doing, because you are amazing. I have no doubt that you're going to do something great with your life honey so don't stress yourself out so much okay?"

Tears falling down her cheeks, Spencer could do nothing but nod in reply, wishing so badly that she could hear these words from her own mother.

"I know it's not always going to be easy though, so I want you to know that you can always talk to me Spencer," Emily then said, brushing the teen's hair away from her face. "I don't want to see what happened to me happen to you, so if you're ever feeling down or you just need to talk to someone I want you to come to me okay?" She said, as Spencer once again nodded sadly. "You're family Spencer. I care about you, so I'm always here for you okay?"

"Okay," Spencer nodded, throwing her arms around Emily's neck, feeling both overwhelmed and grateful. "Thank you Emily."

"Anytime sweetheart," Emily replied, keeping the teen in a firm embrace and placing a kiss on the side of her head. "Anytime."

**CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM**

"This has been the best day ever," Olivia said, flopping down on the couch between Zoey and Garcia; Emily, JJ, Spencer and Alex taking seats around the Prentiss/Jareau family room, all laughing at the blonde's happiness.

"I second that one Cupcake," Garcia replied. "That place was amazing! I don't think I've ever felt so relaxed."

"Exactly!" Olivia exclaimed. "Thanks for taking us Emily, it was great," she said. "I mean this is the least tense I've ever seen Spencer."

"Gee thanks Liv," Spencer replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

After her talk with Emily, Spencer had seemed to be feeling better; her and Alex joining Emily and JJ downstairs for a snack and to watch TV for a while before eventually returning upstairs to sleep. The teen hadn't returned home since that Thursday night, but she had checked in with her parents more than once, who had seemed to have forgotten about their disappointment with their daughter.

With Olivia and Zoey over at Alex's for the night as well, Spencer had allowed herself to forget her fight; the girls enjoying a girl's night in with Emily and JJ spending some time with them too. Garcia had arrived early that morning, looking forward to their Spa day and as soon as everyone was up and ready to go all the ladies were out the door, looking forward to the facials and massages that they had been promised.

"Well I'm glad you girls enjoyed it," Emily smiled, putting her arm around Alex who was happy to cuddle up into her mother's side. "For 14 year olds you guys stress yourselves out enough. Thought you could use a day like today."

"It was definitely needed," Spencer replied, sharing a knowing smile with Emily who simply winked in response, glad to see the teen looking and acting more like herself than she had been two nights prior.

"So when's the rest of the team coming over?" Alex asked, resting her head on Emily's shoulder. "We're just getting pizzas right?"

"Yep," JJ nodded. "I'm dying for a supreme, and Rossi's gonna pick them up on his way over. They should all be here by 7 or so."

"Are we busting out any games tonight?" Zoey asked, having participated in more than one game night with the girls and the team.

"Oh we most definitely are," Garcia replied excitedly, having packed more than one board game before leaving her apartment that morning. "It's not a true night with the team if there aren't games involved! Plus my Chocolate God and I are determined to finally win against all you people!"

"Never gonna happen Garcia," JJ laughed. "You two spend way too much time flirting to concentrate long enough to win a game," she said, as the rest of the girls laughed. "Oh I totally dibs Alex tonight," she then exclaimed before Emily or Spencer could.

"You got it," Alex replied with a laugh as Emily gave her a disbelieving look.

"Gee thanks," Emily said, shoving the teen away from her jokingly. "It's fine anyways because I'll take Spencer," she said, knowing that Olivia and Zoey would want to pair up together since they almost always did unless Garcia forced them to pick someone new.

"We'll crush them," Spencer replied confidently. "Doesn't matter the game, we've got this."

"Oh really," Alex replied raising an eyebrow, as Spencer simply nodded smugly. "Oh it's on."

**CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM-CM**

"YES! We win again!" Alex exclaimed, jumping up from her seat as she and JJ won their second game of Pictionary in a row, having lost only the first round just barely to Spencer and Emily. "We rock!" She practically squealed, high-fiving JJ who stuck her tongue out at Emily.

"Well I think it's about time we take a break from the games before there's some kind of riot," Rossi suggested from where he was sitting next to Reid. "I think I'll just refresh my drink. Anyone else?"

"I'll help," Hotch quickly replied, grabbing a few empty bottles and glasses from around the room in order to refill or replace.

"Aww come on," Alex said. "We can play something else!"

"In a little bit kid," Emily replied, laughing at the look of disappointment on her daughter's face.

"Yeah and I think it's time we separate you 4," Morgan said, pointing to Emily, Spencer, JJ and Alex.

"Well I don't think that's necessary," Emily quickly argued. "I thought everyone liked the teams."

"I think maybe you guys are taking it a little too seriously," Garcia laughed. "My Hunky Agent is right, we need to switch it up."

"Aw you guys are just scared," JJ grumbled as she stole the bowl of Cheetos off the table, resting it on her stomach as she began to dig in. "Obviously can't take losing to us anymore."

"Wimps," Alex added, shaking her head as she tried not to laugh at the way JJ was enjoying her snack.

"So Emily when are you getting back to work?" Haley asked in an attempt to change the subject before the arguing started.

"Well I'm officially back to the office on Monday, but I have to take a requalification test to make sure I can get my gun back before I get out in the field," Emily explained.

"Which you're taking first thing Monday morning," Hotch said as he and Rossi returned with drinks. "It's just a formality to make sure you're not having any problems with your shoulder anyways."

"And how much longer are you planning on working JJ?" Haley then asked curiously.

"Well I'm not sure," JJ admitted. "I mean I know I should probably stop travelling soon, but I'd like to keep working as long as I can. I mean I'm not very good at sitting around. I'll go stir crazy if I take too much time."

"Well you still have what? 2 months?" Rossi asked.

"Yep," JJ nodded rubbing her stomach. "Wow that seems so soon."

"I can't believe how quickly time has been passing," Emily agreed, moving to sit down next to the blonde; rubbing a hand up and down her leg. "It feels like we just found out about all of this."

"Personally I can't wait," Alex sighed, sitting crossed legged next to Spencer. "I'm ready to meet my little brother," she grinned.

"And I'm ready to spoil the little guy," Garcia added, a huge smile on her face.

"Oh geez we're in big trouble," JJ joked, shaking her head with a laugh. "Between Garcia and Emily the kid is going to get everything he wants."

"Hey!" Emily said, trying to sound surprised. "I can say no!"

"Sure you can," JJ smiled, winking at Alex who was laughing quietly. "Alright are we playing another game or what?"

"Yes!" Garcia replied quickly, the men in the room groaning. "Triavial Pursuit, but Alex is with me, Emily can be with her buddy Morgan, JJ gets Rossi and our two Spencers are together."

"Well that's a terrible idea," Alex said, as she moved to sit next to Garcia. "Spencer and Reid together? They're the two smartest people here!"

"Scared?" Spencer grinned, as Reid sat down next to her, knowing she was guaranteed to win with the genius next to her.

"Not a chance," Alex replied confidently, glaring at her friend and trying not to laugh.

"This is going to be a long night," Rossi groaned, the room laughing as they prepared for another epic game night.

**THE END!**

**I WILL BE BACK WITH MY NEXT INSTALLMENT SOON MY FRIENDS!**


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